A Friend to Government Pigs
by schwans
Summary: When jobs are scarce, one can usually find one working for people they hate. Audrey is about to find out how much she really hates the government after what they did to the Muggle-borns.
1. Interview

I do not own Harry Potter, if I did, I would not be writing this. This incredible creation belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

_**A Friend to Government Pigs**_

Chapter One: Interview

_May 31__st__ 1998_

"_Do you have the documents?"_

_The man chuckled, the sound echoing behind his golden mask. "Of course, your connections are very well placed, Milady. I knew you had supporters in the Ministry, but not in such a useful department."_

"_You're a flatterer; I have no need for that." The woman turned her chair away from the window and laid her folded hands on the desk before her. "Now, hand them here. I'm sure those researchers from the Septenary have something for me to work with. After all, the old man's been at it for over forty years now. Surely, he'll have discovered something about what we're looking for." She flipped through the papers as she continued to speak. "I'm quite impressed with the plan you've concocted to get these papers, really I am. Getting what remains of You-know-who's supporters who stayed away from the final battle to burn down the shops run by mudbloods, and keeping them all in Diagon Alley by shutting down the floo to add to the chaos is no small feat. But the icing on the cake is that well timed reopening of the Septenary's floo to get these papers. I applaud your strategic gifts."_

"_Many do, Milady. The real trick is knowing your opponents on a more… _personal_ level. Perhaps we could work together in the future? I've found this an enjoyable venture."_

_The woman smiled, tucking her deep black hair behind her ears. "As have I, perhaps we should discuss this in more detail at a later date. See if we have similar ambitions." She smiled, "Now, what can you tell me about the book you hired the boy to steal?"_

"_I can't open it."_

"_What?"_

"_I've tried everything I can think of, but it can only be opened by a spell that I don't have at the moment. I believe the old man kept it under lock and key, so to speak."_

"_Well, that's obvious," the woman remarked drily. "I take it it's not in here then?"_

"_I checked. We just got a bunch of diagrams, some notes, a few essays, a star chart and a recipe for carrot cake. They're not very well organized."_

"_Well, perhaps there is another way to get the spell. The archives in the Ministry have information on many dangerous and illegal books that they've been trying to find for years. If you care to make another plan…"_

"_Absolutely, the dark magic in this book is worth the effort. Trust me." Behind his golden mask, the man smiled._

Oo0Oo0

_"Audrey, you're going to be just fine. Mr. Dawson is a really nice guy, he's really relaxed about the crazy stuff that goes on in the Ministry. He's perfectly comfortable with the fact he's in charge of the bunch of oddballs who work security for the Ministry. Heck, there's one bloke called Oddball. I'll introduce you; you'd like him, he's a right strange guy."_

_They let a guy called Oddball work for the Ministry? "Lucia, you're not helping." Audrey said drily as her queen moved across the board to take the enemy bishop. "I'm still nervous about throwing in my lot with the Ministry at this point. And who says I'll end up working security with you? That's my second choice."_

_Lucia's green eyes appeared sympathetic as she flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Aud, I have doubts that the Floo Regulation Department will want an angry citizen among them." She paused and examined the chess board. "I can understand why you're nervous about joining the Ministry, really I was there when I first got the job. But things are getting better Audrey. Really they are."_

_Audrey looked up at Lucia before swearing loudly as her queen was felled by Lucia's rook. "How can you say things are getting better? Look at what happened last night! We lost our home and business, and now we're living at the Leaky Cauldron. Which I might add, we have to pay for while trying to rebuild after that riot last night." Audrey rubbed her sore shoulder as she then ordered her knight to take the king. _

_Lucia swore this time, "Hey, with both our salaries from the Ministry, and Uncle Septimus trying to find a way to sue the Ministry we'll have the Septenary back in no time flat. Depending on whether or not we're all going to be cheap about rebuilding the shop or not, I truly fear the thought of Uncle Septimus with a hammer."_

_An image of the Septenary rebuilt, then falling in upon itself flashed through Audrey's mind. "Yeah, that was a scary image… Thanks Lu."_

_The young woman smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You know I enjoy giving you all those horrifying images right? The look on your face is just so funny."_

Oo0Oo0

_June 6__ 1998_

The office was cold and drafty. The starch white walls made Audrey feel as though she had finally been sent to the nut house. That trip was a long time coming.

"So, Miss Causey," the man at the other side of the desk began. "Why do you want to work as Ministry desk security? Your past work experience indicates one who would be more fit for a job down in the Department of Mysteries or in the Ministry Archives."

_'I wanted to try and find that rumored Death Eater sympathizer in the Floo Regulations department, but they're not hiring at the moment.'_

"Well sir, I care deeply about the safety of our government officials in these troubled times," Audrey replied with an almost sincere smile.

The man nodded, Audrey guessed she gave a good answer.

"Who told you about this job?"

"Lucia Selwyn, she's a friend of mine."

"Miss Selwyn? I like her, how long have you two known each other?" The man flipped through the folder on his desk containing Audrey's resume, a recommendation from Septimus she had yet to read, and a few papers written by people she knew well who praised her moral character.

"We've been friends since first year sir. She was very informed about the wizarding world and told me everything she knew about it."

"That's nice that you both have maintained a friendship that long and through this whole mess. What pureblood friends I had before the war I don't have now."

"That's sad sir."

"No big deal, they couldn't play cards that well anyway. Anyway, back to business. Your former employer, a Septimus Lowell, has written at least three pages praising the work you've done for him as a shopkeeper and an Apprentice Researcher. He says that your '_work has always been above and beyond the call because you throw yourself into everything you do in your work and in your personal life._' He says you are _'the more people friendly persona of the Septenary_' and he wishes that he could've done more for you during the two years you've worked for him and _'writing this out so that the damned government knows the good thing they're getting_,' is the very least he could do." The man closed the folder, "Obviously, Mr. Lowell thinks very highly of you."

Audrey's face turned a bright, noticeable crimson. Septimus Lowell had saved her life and the lives of countless others during the war. He had brought together people sympathetic to the muggle-borns' plight and managed to get many of these muggle-borns out of the country with help from those who were sympathetic. Audrey, despite the risk involved, stayed behind to aid Septimus and her fellow muggle-borns. The group that was gathered was not lead by moral greed in the possible recognition they may receive in doing so, but by the shared belief they had about this being the right thing to do. Many died for this belief after the Death Eaters found out their location and killed many of those who were set to leave. They had somehow known the leaders of the Relocation Operation and had them captured and arrested instead. That didn't stop three of the seven leaders from being killed when the burning headquarters collapsed on top of them and one wandless civilian fatality who tried to box with a Death Eater.

"Miss Causey, I have a few more questions for you."

"Fire away sir."

The head of security smiled. "Why did you leave your former place of employment?"

"No choice sir, we had some structural problems," Audrey replied simply. She was not about to explain to this man that she had lost her home and workplace during a riot in Diagon Alley, and almost lost her life in the process of saving Septimus'. She had no need for the sympathy. "I'm hoping to get a job here to help fix the Septenary and continue my apprenticeship."

"Off the record Miss Causey, to settle my own curiosity, how long does an apprenticeship in Magical Research last?"

"Seven years usually, seeing as the number seven has many magical properties, and also it's supposed to be lucky. Though some will do three years seeing as the number three also has magical properties, though to a lesser extent. An apprentice studies the craft from their mentor, or mentors if you're working at a larger facility. Part of their education is charts, the study of old languages, numerology, and how our use of magic has evolved from earliar times to its modern uses. Many researchers usually focus on one subject," Audrey loved answering this question. "I've been working for Mr. Lowell since the summer of my seventh year and continued throughout my school year and the holidays."

"Thank you for answering that. Now let's get back to business. Have you ever been involved in any criminal activities?"

Oo0Oo0

"_Have you seen my criminal record from our wartime exploits. Septimus, I'm just waiting for a court date on my illegal broomstick enchantment." Said Audrey as Russell roared with laughter. "Trust me being known as a vigilante is much cooler than being known as the witch who enhanced muggle brooms with flight charms."_

"_Again Causey, you did it a few years ago too."_

_Audrey smirked, "I'm still not sure how they didn't catch me last time."_

Oo0Oo0

"Define criminal activities."

"I'll rephrase, have you ever been arrested?"

"Once, I'm waiting to get to court to get myself cleared of the crimes of theft of magical power, treason, direct disobedience to the law, and illegal broomstick enchantment. Among other things I was accused of during the war," Audrey replied brushing her mousey brown hair out of her pale blue-grey eyes. "You could probably find the files here in the Ministry.

"I see. I'll wager that could take some time with this political mess we're in." The department head stood with a smile, "I feel like a walk, how about you Miss Causey?"

"That sounds fine."

"Good, good, follow me then." Henry Dawson walked out the door of his office with Audrey following closely so she wouldn't get lost again like she had on her way to the interview. She had almost not made it on time, but found somebody to ask for directions, which turned out to be the man giving the interview who had stepped out for some lunch and was running a bit late.

The Ministry corridors on the second floor were long, and open so that one could hear everything going on in the many different departments on this floor. The remains of the Auror department were shouting and swearing admirably about the fact that they had missed the known Death Eater Dominicus Selwyn, Audrey's friend Lucia's first cousin. And also the morality of letting volunteers accompany them on the hunt for Death Eaters. Some of the older Aurors were saying that the new volunteers could be put to use in Diagon to help look for the source of the riot that had cost so many their shops and livelihoods'. Audrey wasn't happy about her shop and home being burned to ash, but she didn't want government agents in there mucking things up.

Audrey watched them out of the corner of her eye as she followed Henry Dawson into the lift. The grates moaned loudly as they closed and the lift began to lower itself to the Atrium. The ride was dull and uneventful; Henry Dawson was talking about the many benefits of making a career out of being a security guard for the Ministry. To Audrey, it sounded like something he had said many times before to employees, new and old many times. Perhaps this was a monthly lecture to his underlings.

The grates opened and Audrey followed Dawson onto the main floor of the Ministry. It was a grand, spacious fixture that took Audrey's breath away. The hustle and bustle of the numerous employees could easily have been nonexistent due to Audrey's intense study of the architecture over her head. When she had arrived earlier the underground structure was the last thing on her mind, the first thing on her mind was escape routes, just in case. Audrey's eyes were pulled away unwillingly as Dawson began to move through the crowd.

He had navigated successfully through the thick crowd of workers and led Audrey to the front desk where Audrey had registered her wand an hour before. The man smiled and waved at Henry Dawson as he and Audrey walked by. "Bored Walker?"

"As much as can be expected sir!" The man replied as Dawson laughed as he continued to lead Audrey along.

"We have many different posts around here Miss Causey. The front desk here in the Atrium in the most well known, but we also have recently added posts all over the Ministry. We have a post by the Minister's office, the Archives, and quite a few in the Department of Mysteries. These are just the main ones, mind you, but we've recently expanded the empire to include the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and all the other floors." Dawson smiled, "You seem to be a smart girl who I could put anywhere without too much trouble, you'd probably find just observing the people and the things that go on in here to be absolutely fascinating. I know I do."

Dawson turned back around to face Audrey as soon as they had entered the secondary security office, Dawson turned to face Audrey and held out his hand, and they shook hands. "I'll send you an owl within the next few days for a follow up interview. Have a nice day Miss Causey."

"Thank you for your time, sir."

Oo0Oo0

_**Author's Note: **_And the ball starts rolling from here. Canon characters appear next chapter. Yeah, I like to spend a bit of time doing a bit of stage setting. I may have to fix that if I do more projects like this. Multi-chapter projects anyway.


	2. First Day

Chapter Two: First Day

_June 10__th__ 1998_

"Listen up you lot!" The group of people who were being barked at straightened visibly. Many adjusted the collar of their peacock blue robes, the uniform of Ministry security. "With the rise in… er… _unauthorized_ access to the Ministry facility-"

The man standing next to Audrey chuckled.

"It's not funny, Walker. I seem to recall that little old lady giving you a run for your money during that Muggle-born riot in the Atrium a couple of weeks ago." The man called Walker silenced himself immediately as the rest of the department started laughing. "Good man Walker. Now as I was saying, our current system makes it far too easy for people who wish to, erm, prove a point as it were, to get in. And with those Death Eaters targeting Muggle-borns in Diagon Alley, well, we need to beef up security around here. So, here's my proposition. Believe me; it benefits you all quite nicely. Catch a dark wizard anyplace in the Ministry and there's a hefty bonus for you."

Excited babble broke out among the crowd of Security guards. Bonuses of any kind in any branch of law enforcement were rare unless you died. And that was only to give to the families of the deceased. Security guards, seeing as their lives were never constantly at risk, never saw one at all.

Audrey Causey looked up at where the Head of Ministry Security was standing behind his desk. He was a rather large man, his belly hung over his belt and he had a double chin. He looked to Audrey to be in his mid-fifties. His name was Henry Dawson.

"Hey, Henry! How much is this bonus?" Walker shouted as the people around his took up the cheer.

"Depending on the catch, at least three hundred galleons."

The room went silent for a moment letting the amount sink in. Then there was a great thundering sound as the Ministry security, some forty strong, attempted to shove themselves simultaneously out the office door. Audrey turned around to watch as Lucia Selwyn moved to her side.

"I've never seen these people so excited about sitting at desks before," she commented drily. "I checked the schedule for today. You and I are going to be having fun at the front desk in the Atrium. Registering wands and the like, it's quite busy post these days because we're checking all of our visitors for dark artifacts. I think you'll enjoy that, Aud. Besides, it's a good place to figure out how things work around here."

Audrey looked up excitedly as the last security guard had finally managed to shove herself through the door.

Oo0Oo0

The constant hustle and bustle was unnerving. The last time she was in the Ministry it had been immediately after the war had ended and she was waiting around with her friend and fellow Muggle-born John Townsend for a survivors list. The many escapades that followed were hardly encouraging in Audrey's opinion in Ministry security. Considering they had managed to break into the Minister's office without too many problems.

Glancing over at Lucia Selwyn who was placing a nervous looking wizard's wand on the scale and chatting with the man in a friendly manner, Audrey was free to let her mind wander for a few moments. She had been thrilled to find out she had been able to secure a steady job, though the Ministry would not have been her first choice. Seeing as her friends were working here, and also Audrey's over-developed senses of vengeance and curiosity had also been factors in her decision. Perhaps this would prove to have long lasting benefits. After all, employees here no matter their station had access to the archives and the Ministry library. The thought of all of those books and all of that information made her drool, but if one wanted access to the more dangerous texts they needed clearance, which Audrey didn't have. Yet.

The thought of forging a pass had crossed her mind but she had no idea what a pass for that would look like. She had also taken into account that almost everybody here could spot the fresh meat. Audrey had a feeling most of them were sizing up possible political competition. They had no need to be worried about her; Audrey was a mere security witch in the Ministry Atrium, not the shopkeeper and research assistant from the Septenary.

Audrey missed the shop keeping already. She never liked political games.

"Oh, check this out," Lucia said as she dragged a box out from under the desk as the Atrium was cleared of Ministry employees leaving Lucia and Audrey to their own devices. "The security guards have some new toys!" Lucia's voice echoed throughout the empty Atrium.

Audrey leaned over the box for a closer look at the silver sticks. "What are those?"

Lucia picked one up with a rather strange smile on her face. "I believe they are sensory probes, my good friend. And what does one do with probes?"

Audrey squirmed uncomfortably in her chair as she thought back to all of those science fiction novels she had read during her childhood. Lucia started laughing.

"C'mon, Aud! They're going to be useful when we check out suspicious people. And anytime someone says the word probe, people look really disturbed. It'll be fun!"

"I don't trust you with the probes, hand'em over."

Lucia complied saying that she probably wouldn't trust herself with probes either.

They sat at the desk with nothing but each other and a few of the books Audrey had borrowed from John Townsend that morning before they had all part ways at the Ministry Atrium. Truthfully, the books were John's wife, Ellie's, idea so they could have something to do after all of the employees had made it up to their offices. It was partially to ensure their safety seeing as the Wizarding community was still in shock about what the former administration had done to the Muggle-borns and those who had tried to fight back. Audrey's people were lucky until mid-April when they were ambushed by Death Eaters who had finally found out where the Muggle-born Relocation Operation was stationed. Audrey still had nightmares.

The world was also still trying to root out Death Eater sympathizers who were still trying to do harm to the Muggle-born community. The riot in Diagon Alley was led by Death Eaters who were targeting shops with Muggle-born and bloodtraitor ties of any sort. Audrey's former place of employment was run by a known bloodtraitor named Septimus Lowell and Audrey was his apprentice in his studies. The Septenary was burned to the ground while the two fought for their lives and their livelihood.

Audrey's eyes wandered until they found the statue that she and Septimus had melted down during their escape in mid-April. It still hadn't been repaired yet. Mr. Dawson said they were looking for a good artist to make something to represent the new era. Audrey wished them the best of luck; she believed this new era was going to take time to define as one that was less blood oriented.

There was a dull squeaking sound that echoed throughout the chamber. Audrey and Lucia looked up simultaneously to find nobody was there. They both shrugged at the other and went back to what they were doing before. Audrey took her eyes off the statue to find the heels of a pair of disembodied trainers walking across the floor. She elbowed Lucia's ribs and nodded towards the shoes. Lucia responded with a catlike grin and grabbed a couple of probes out of the box as Audrey cast a spell of her own design.

'_Vestigium.' _A white light began to follow behind the trainers. She turned back to Lucia who was making motions with her hands. It was a code they had developed during one of the quiet periods during the war to communicate simple messages. Lucia's hands were telling her _"Follow"_, she then pointed at herself, followed my making the sign for _"Lead"._

"You know that guy from Floo regulations is absolutely gorgeous," Lucia said, her voice rising a pitch like a love-struck teenage girl talking about boys with her friends as they stepped onto the lift after the invisible person. "Not all that hard on the eyes for a pencil pusher."

Audrey raised an eyebrow taking the role of the more realistic friend. "I thought you liked guys with muscle? What happened to that Enforcer anyway?"

"He was… Boring. In life and in bed."

The trainers were moving up and down uncomfortably.

"Anyway Audrey, we need to find you a man."

"Lucia, the last guy I went out with left me for another man." Audrey was not going to forget about that in a hurry.

"So?"

"I found out when I walked in on them snogging behind the counter."

"Well, it could've been worse."

"How?" Audrey was curious to see how that could've been worse.

Lucia smiled, "He could have been seeing another woman."

Lucia changed the subject as the lift arrived at the Law Enforcement floor. Audrey was the one who hit the button seeing as she wanted to go as high as possible and above the trainers if at all possible. But the door opened and the shoes didn't move. Audrey snapped her fingers, "I forgot that book I borrowed at our desk!" That was a complete lie.

"We should go back and get it then!" Lucia caught onto things quickly. She looked down at the panel of buttons by the door. "Hey, this thing's going to the top floor. I must have hit that button too by mistake."

"Bah, we'll get it after it stops at the Minister's floor," Audrey replied as she fingered her wand nervously as he heart began to accelerate. If the shoes were heading to the Minister's office this might be a very badly planned assassination attempt, so this person may be a complete lunatic. The thought crossed her mind to take out the trainers before her made it upstairs.

But that was not meant to be. Before Audrey could stun the trainers the lift doors opened and the trainers ran out the lift door. Perhaps disturbed by Lucia and Audrey's conversation.

Audrey followed at a distance seeing as her spell was still in effect. She focused intently on the back of the shoes as she walked after the owner with Lucia following close behind. The trainers began walking faster and Audrey picked up the pace as they stopped outside the office door and pushed it open. She broke into a run and pushed the door open her wand out and ready.

Oo0Oo0

"So, why does Drayfus have a cubicle and we don't?"

A voice from the other side of the thin cubicle wall spoke up with booming tones, "It's so I don't have to see you two until four."

"But we leave at four…"

"That's my point."

Percy chuckled as he flipped through his papers and signed his name to the bottom form. Shirley Walters looked over at the man as she absentmindedly adjusted the nameplate at the front of her desk. "You're mean Drayfus. You've got him laughing at me now."

"Shirley, sweetheart, it doesn't take much for people to laugh at you," Drayfus said from inside of his cubicle his voice laced with laughter. "And I'll stop teasing you when we get a new guy in here."

Shirley blinked, "I didn't know we were hiring."

"We're not, we'll get a new person in here if Weasley decides to leave, which is highly unlikely, or I die. Which is also highly unlikely."

Shirley scowled as she turned her chair towards the filing cabinet behind her and began to place papers in with their corresponding files. "Nobody lives forever, Drayfus." She adjusted the sleeves of her bright pink work robes to prevent them from getting caught in the drawer.

"Don't you two have work to do?" Percy asked as he sent some of his paper to the out box.

"I came in this morning expecting to do transcripts for the Minister, he cancelled last minute. And I finished my assigned paperwork for the day already. So unless somebody has something for me to do, I'll just have to sit here and look pretty, or annoy you." She smiled mischievously at Percy who just scowled and levitated some paperwork and three separate files onto Shirley's desk with a few flicks of his wand. Shirley stared at the files on the next week's classified war trials, "That's cruel."

"That's a matter of perspective."

Drayfus' disembodied voice cackled from his personal cubicle as Shirley began to work on the new papers on her desk. And the office settled into a quiet calm with only the scratching of quills to parchment to still the silence.

The silence was destroyed by the opening of the office door everybody in the office looked up to find it close mysteriously. They shrugged and went back to work not noticing the white light seeping under the door. The door opened again and there was someone standing in the doorway this time. It was a small, rather thin looking figure that at first glance was of undistinguishable gender. Closer examination led to the belief that the figure was female.

The young woman scowled noticeably as her eyes looked down at the carpeted floor. Her unnaturally pale blue eyes peered out from behind her shaggy brown bangs as she ran forward wand in hand. She seemed to hit an invisible wall of some sort and fell to the ground her arms wrapped around something and she gave a wordless battle cry. The office workers stood up quickly, two peering over their desks wands drawn, the other looking over the wall of his personal space where only his eyes were visible.

"Lucia! I got'em!" The woman shouted to the blonde who had just appeared in the doorway. "Give me one of those probes, quick! Oh boy, a bonus for us!"

"Need some help with the dark wizard Aud?" the blonde asked as she ran into the office with a couple of sensory probes in her hands. "Hey, how do you use these? Do you stick'em somewhere?"

The person Audrey was restraining tried harder to squirm out of her grip at that statement. Audrey cuffed him over the head with her closed fist.

"No, you don't stick them anywhere. Give one here!"

Lucia pressed the sensory probe into Audrey's hand. Audrey then moved it through the air hoping it would pick up on something. It remained still and silent. "Maybe I'm not doing this right…"

"What's going on here?" Shirley asked as she brushed a strand of bottle-blonde hair out of her face.

"You don't know about the reward for the security guards?" Lucia asked, as she turned to the guards that the door "Hey, you two can go get Dawson can't you?" The men at the door took off. Lucia returned her attention to Shirley, "If we catch a dark wizard we get three hundred galleons at least."

That sealed everybody's attention on the struggle taking place on the floor. "Get him girl!" Drayfus shouted as Audrey managed to get the invisible man in a headlock. "You look like you could use the gold!"

Audrey was rolled onto the floor as the man continued to struggle. He tossed Audrey to the floor as he tried to stand only to have Audrey tackle his knees to bring him crashing to the floor once again. His shout was muffled when his face collided with the carpeted floor. Audrey gave a shout of triumph as she appeared victorious at last.

Then suddenly the door that led to the Minister's office flew open. Audrey looked up quickly as she cuffed the assassin over the head with her fist again.

"What is going on out here?" His voice boomed and it echoed through the room. The Minister's dark eyes scanned the room and everybody froze. Audrey glanced over and noticed the man who had the sole cubical in the room had disappeared behind it.

She looked over at the other man who was peering over his desk his face a mixed expression of confusion and anxiety, mostly the former. The two had crossed paths before but Audrey had never gotten his name.

The Minister asked again, "What is going on out here?" His eyes settled on Audrey and her mouth formed a thin tight line as her eyes got larger in fear.

"Um, well, you see…" Audrey's face went pink; she hated being the center of attention.

"We caught an _assassin!_" Lucia shouted causing everyone in the room to turn and stare at her and then Audrey in turn. "We saw a pair of disembodied trainers walk into the lift and decided to follow them. So, when do we get the Galleons?"

There was a sudden scrambling sound at the door. Some loud shouting, followed by a loud thump, which was confirmed to be Henry Dawson getting knocked into the wall by the security guards who worked this floor by the swearing that followed, then the three security guards tried to simultaneously stuff themselves through the door.

Dawson was breathing heavily, "Catch… one?" Lucia nodded excitedly as she pointed at Audrey and the invisible person she was holding down. Dawson seemed to take in the scene for a moment before rushing over with his wand drawn. "Alright Causey, get off him, it's a bit hard to hex somebody if one of your associates is sitting on them." Audrey complied, but not before giving the assassin a swift kick in the leg. Dawson motioned for everyone to step back as he pointed his wand at the invisible man. "Alright, who are you?"

The person on the floor never got a chance to answer. A strong wind directed from the Minister's wand blew what was covering the man away. It looked like a cloak. And there was uproar from the room.

"Merlin's saggy left-"

"Oh my God-"

"I'm fired aren't I?"

"Oh bless my hat, it's Harry Potter!"

The former assassin rolled over onto his back, squinting at the ceiling as he removed his glasses. "What was that for, Kingsley? I thought you knew I was coming?"

"I did. I _thought_ they did." The Minister replied motioning towards the crowd looking at the savior of the wizarding world wearily. "I thought I had told you all that I was having a visitor who wanted to keep his visit quiet?"

"Why sneak in then?" Lucia asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Harry Potter smiled as he rubbed the side of his head, "I can't go anywhere without reporters and the like finding out and following me around. I get some peace this way. How did you see my trainers anyway?"

Lucia smirked, "Just saw the back of them. You might've tucked that cloak into your trousers or something."

There was more rustling paper from the cubicle. The man inside the cubicle's hand popped up holding a small day planner. "Sorry about that Minister, I borrowed this from Weasley this morning to copy. I would've used Shirley's, but the boy has nicer handwriting."

Audrey looked over at the man with bright red hair and really unusual taste in eyewear; he looked rather pleased with the compliment.

Henry Dawson took his eyes off one of the greatest heroes in the wizarding world to face his Audrey and Lucia amusement crossing his face. "I told you two we would be looking for dark wizards. Not dark wizard slayers." Dawson smiled, "This will be all over the Ministry by tomorrow, mark my words."

Audrey felt the color drain from her face.

* * *

_**Authors Note: **Yes, I make Audrey suffer. I like making characters suffer. Makes them grow a bit._

_ I do think Harry would have some problems with reporters and a very excited public for some time after the war. He'd probably start keeping his invisiblity cloak with him on a regular basis just in case he had to make a quick getaway. _


	3. Observations

Chapter Three: Observations

_June 12__th__ 1998_

Henry Dawson was right. Word spread quickly through the elaborate Ministry gossip chain that kept many up to date on what was going on in the other departments. Excluding the Department of Mysteries and its sub-departments, they were a special breed. But Audrey Causey wouldn't know this from all the various retellings of her capture of the wizarding world's hero.

Here she sat minding the Department of Floo Regulations, the exact floor she had applied to originally but had no openings. This was not as good. Audrey's placement here would be uncertain; she had heard rumors that Dawson drew the rookies' placements out of a hat until Dawson found where they worked best. Audrey was a rookie and was going to be moved all over the Ministry until Dawson placed her somewhere on a more permanent basis.

Audrey propped her feet on the desk and pulled her self-inking quill out of her uniform pocket. Audrey planned to spend here shift taking notes on the employees from this department. The rumors of a sympathizer from this department made here nervous considering a lot of shopkeepers from Diagon Alley were hurt when they couldn't floo to safety during the riot on May the thirtieth. Nobody could apparate out either do to anti-apparation jinxes placed on the area by the government for safety purposes. Bloody hell she hated these people.

Whipping a piece of parchment from seemingly out of nowhere, Audrey began to draw a map of the floor. The war had ended over a month ago and her survival instincts were still running wildly out of control. Especially in here, though Audrey kept telling herself that if she had broken out of the Ministry once, she could do it again. That incident and the events that led to it were etched in her memory forever.

The map was a complete monstrosity, the only thing Audrey could draw was a circle to copy the charts borrowed from other facilities. This looked like a mess of scribbled lines and squares. Audrey was under the false impression she could have made a decent floor map in case she needed to break out in a hurry again, so maybe she'd have some idea where she was going next time. Audrey tossed the map into a wastepaper basket under her desk after realizing that it was a very bad map. She took out another piece of parchment and began to observe the people who worked in this department. Somebody here was a sympathizer, and Audrey was going to find out who it was.

The first in her line of sight was a plain looking woman in her mid-forties. Her hair was pulled back in a prim, severe looking bun at the nape of her neck. Audrey watched the woman's shoes walk across the floor to her desk where she did her work as a secretary to the department head. Audrey had some sincere doubts that a mere secretary would know how to shut down the floo in such a large area like Diagon Alley. She sighed and moved onto her next target.

The second was a large, bricklike man who looked like he had played beater on his old house's quidditch team. Actually he did, Audrey had seen him in passing when she was in school. This guy was an idiot, the fact he was a Slytherin was no help to his intelligence. She slipped down in her chair as the brick-man looked over his shoulder.

This was going to be a long day. Audrey felt herself wishing, not for the first time, that the Septenary hadn't been burned down in the riot. She'd gladly kill someone to be curled up in front of the hearth with the latest document in need of translation. Or just out of the Ministry doing anything else at all, hell, watching paint dry would be more interesting than this.

Audrey made a note on her parchment and resumed her observations.

"Good morning Slone!" A man said loudly waving down a weedy looking man who appeared to be in his late thirties. "How are things at your end of the department?"

"Everything is fine."

"Sure about that?"

"No need to worry Harkens, we're rechecking what went wrong during that riot in Diagon Alley a couple of weeks ago. We've been all over it since then. It's gotten quite dull really, I'm not sure if we'll ever know exactly what went wrong."

_'Cruel, heartless, bastard_…' Audrey thought as her fists clenched tightly in her lap. In that moment, Audrey realized the man called Sloane seemed a little off. Not the quirky kind she was used to, but just slightly... off. It was the way his eyes darted about the place, never staying on one place long before moving someplace else. He gave Audrey the creeps. She felt her hands shake suddenly as his eyes settled on her for a brief moment. He rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes darted back to a desk near the back where Audrey presumed he did his work.

"I have some paperwork to finish, Harkens. I'll talk to you later."

As Sloane walked away the man called Harkens sighed and said quietly to himself, "Strange fellow that Sergius Sloane. I guess that's what being an Enforcer does to you."

"Pardon me sir," Audrey asked quietly getting the man's attention. "That Sloane fellow seems a bit…"

"Off." The man finished, "I'd be worried if he wasn't. He's been working as an Enforcer for the past decade; he transferred here for his health about a month ago."

"Why here?"

"The stress of enforcing the law during the war took a toll on him and the higher ups are letting him investigate inside the Ministry for now. Root out the sympathizers and the like. A word of advice, keep your mouth shut. He's got the power to write your name down and have you fired within the hour. I heard a rumor that he's working an investigation to find out who shut down the floo in Diagon Alley. I've heard any suspects will be harshly interrogated."

"Thanks for the warning."

Audrey scribbled the name Sergius Sloane onto her piece of parchment. He gave her the creeps and something about him seemed off. And something deep down told her that is was more than post-war paranoia.

Oo0Oo0

"Oh damn."

Lucia looked over at Audrey quizzically as Audrey rummaged through her locker tossing out an assortment of books, spare work robes, a boot, and an unmatched sock. "Audrey, are you okay?"

"My lunch is gone. I had it right here in my locker."

"Well, someone's eating well today."

"Ha ha, that's funny aside from the fact I'm hungry."

Lucia smiled, "Come eat in the cafeteria with me and the other security weirdoes. It'll be fun! And besides, it's about time you all got acquainted."

Getting to know the other security guards at this point was the last thing on Audrey's mind. Since her grand first day the most common question she had been asked was if she had caught anymore war heroes, then they would just walk off laughing. It got to be rather embarrassing after awhile.

The cafeteria was on the main floor at the end of a hall off the Atrium. Audrey and Lucia left the locker room on the second floor and were sucked into the large mass of people heading to the lifts. Audrey winced as a rather large man stepped on her toe and Lucia almost yanked her arm out of its socket to get her to hurry. Audrey sort of spun around on the balls of her feet as Lucia suddenly dragged her out of the mass of people and into the lift. Audrey felt the sudden surge of people that followed pushing her and Lucia to the back, Audrey then felt mildly claustrophobic as employees began to push them both back into the corner.

The lift began to go down to the main floor there was much talking coming from the employees about policy, world affairs, and gossip. Lots of gossip. Gossip was the life of any organization; Septimus often said organizations, societies and longstanding friendships even, could be broken by a single, well placed rumor. Audrey found that fascinating. She closed her eyes and listened carefully to the conversations unfolding around her.

"Did you hear about-"

"How about those stock prices in the Firebolt two thousand-"

"What's for lunch today anyway?"

"I've heard it's soup today-"

"Hey Bob, did you hear about that security witch?"

Audrey stopped eavesdropping at that point.

The lift opened and the mass of people surged forward dragging Audrey and Lucia along with the swarm. There was no way out of the crowd. The crowd poured through the hallway and through the cafeteria doors and lined up single file for their lunch. Audrey blinked quickly trying to figure out how they had arrived so quickly. She snapped out of it when Lucia pushed a metal tray into her chest. "Look alive, Audie."

"Don't call me Audie." Audrey said idly as her eyes darted around the cafeteria in case she needed to get out in a hurry. Those windows were only there to make it look more cheery and hospitable. There were three different doors, one leading to the kitchens where the house elves worked; the other two were for the employees to come in and out for meals. Audrey was alternating her gaze between the beautiful architecture on the ceiling above her and looking at the food she was taking out of the line. "Hey is that pasta?"

Lucia passed Audrey the bowl of pasta as Audrey's stomach rumbled loudly. "You know, I think I'll have some of that to." Lucia paid for both meals and led Audrey through the crowd. "Stay close Aud! I don't want the Unspeakables to do unspeakable things to you!" Lucia laughed as Audrey looked at the researchers under Ministry employment. They looked pale and spoke in hushed, whispering tones over pieces of parchment lying in the center of the table they were carefully moving to conceal from public view. One man looked over at Audrey, his face contorting into a quiet warning. Audrey walked faster to keep up with Lucia as she stopped in front of a table in the back of the large cafeteria. "Wait, it's Thursday."

"What's so great about Thursday?" Audrey asked as Lucia sat down in an empty chair.

"I forgot security eats lunch in muggle London on Thursdays. We'll eat here with John today. Security usually eats where those Unspeakables are today. Remember that."

Audrey sat down and began to eat. The pasta was delicious, Audrey smiled, it reminded her of school food she had always been fond of. Much better than anything she had in the past year. Eating good food while on the run was next to impossible.

She was so engrossed with her meal she missed the almost simultaneous sound of chairs being pulled away from the table. "Hey Audrey, I thought you were still in that metaphorical hole you said you were never coming out of?"

"Lucia dragged me out John, besides, my hole doesn't have food."

"I was under the impression it wasn't a hole, but more like a closet on the second floor." Lucia said earning laughs from around the table.

A woman with black and purple hair and multiple ear piercings smiled at Audrey kindly, "I haven't seen either of you around before, who are you?"

"Audrey Causey, this is my friend Lucia Selwyn," Lucia grinned at the mention of her name, "we work security."

The woman smiled, "Ah, John's mentioned you two before. It's nice to finally meet you in person. My name's Piper Collins, this is Felix Flanders," a burly looking man whose ears were slightly pointed at the tip smiled widely from where he was sitting at the other end of the table. Piper nodded her head at the man to Felix's left. "The guy doing the Daily Prophet crossword is Weatherby."

"Don't call me Weatherby."

"Just seeing if you were paying attention."

"And if I wasn't?"

Piper smiled, "When are you not?"

The man smiled and went on with his crossword, brow furrowed in concentration. He stopped suddenly and looked across the table, his mouth became a tight line and his eyes bulged slightly. Audrey felt herself stiffen slightly, that look was scary.

"Not you two."

Lucia beamed, Audrey tried to subtly slide under the table to make an escape. She almost made it but John kicked her in the shin causing her to yelp and straighten up in her chair.

"Must be a dream come true for you," Lucia said sweetly as the man raised and eyebrow. "Seeing the same two beautiful women for the second time in two days, it must be fate."

"I don't believe in fate. Just an unfortunate connection of coincidences."

Audrey snickered as Lucia closed her mouth and turned her attention to her lunch. John leaned back in his chair giving the red haired man a thumbs up. "Nice job, Perce! Lucia normally can't keep her mouth shut." He turned his attention to Audrey while Lucia glared at John's right ear. "Audrey, Lucia, this is Percy Weasley. He's that friend of mine from the Minister's office."

Audrey reached across the table and shook his hand. She started talking with Piper about her job in the Deparment of Mysteries as Percy went back to his crossword. After hearing "That's classified." for the seventh time there was a sound from the other end of the table. It was a voice asking a question.

"I need a five letter word for alchoholic beverage; third letter is an _o."_

_"_Booze." Audrey deadpaned as she finished her lunch.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

Silence took over the table. Audrey watched Felix jam his elbow into Percy's side almost knocking him out of the chair. Shrugging casually at the glare sent in his direction Felix began to initiate a new topic of discussion. "So, Audrey, have you heard about that security witch who tackled Harry Potter? I thought the public would be able to show some restraint. Anyway do you know who the crazy witch is because I'd really like to meet her." Audrey had somehow managed to prevent herself from attempting to escape again as her face started to burn in embarrassment.

John changed the subject quickly. "So Aud, how are Septimus' attempts to sue the Ministry going?" There was a hacking cough from the other side of the table and a couple of loud _thwack _sounds as Felix and Piper slapped Percy on the back. It appeared he had started choking on his drink. John gave an uncharacteristically sadistic smile, "Tell the old man I'll be glad to throw in my bit." The coughing seemed to grow more strained at that comment.

"John," Percy said a few moments later, "the Ministry signs your paycheck."

"Not for long, I'm hopefully going to be at St. Mungo's as a Healer's apprentice by September. Then I won't need to worry about pissing off my boss any more." John paused and gave Audrey his full attention. "Did you get a owl with an M.F.R pamphlet yet?"

"M.F.R?" Audrey asked leaning forward in her chair.

"Muggle-borns for Reformation. They're a political party that's sprung up recently, I got a pamphlet the other day, they're a completely radical lot made up of very angry people. If you haven't gotten one yet expect one soon. They're appealing to Muggle-born's, but more to those who stayed in the country during the war. Yes, I'm angry. But I want to move on with my life and put it all behind me."

Lucia drummed her fingers steadily on the tabletop. "I do have some Unionist Party leanings myself. I do agree with their stance on pureblood supremecy and Muggle-born rights. The stuff that happened during the war was pretty sick, I don't want to watch my friends go through that again." She made a funny jerking motion towards John and Audrey. "They're both Muggle-borns and they're like my brother and sister."

The table was quiet again as the other three occupants sorted out what Lucia was saying. Percy broke the silence, "So, it is Audrey right, what do you think?" He looked as though he was hoping she wouldn't be as radical as John. The occupants looked over appearing interested. Well, they did decide to work here. Which meant they must have had some political and government related interests.

"I'm an anarchist." Audrey replied drily.

John and Lucia roared with laughter as Felix and Piper snickered at the blank expression on Percy's face. Audrey stood smiling sweetly, before bidding everyone farewell and leaving to return to her post.

Oo0Oo0

"Now, what was that Audrey? Did you just tell me you won? Oh you poor, misguided, girl. I have a full house." Septimus Lowell laid his hand on the table and the sounds of anguish from the other six players joined each other in perfect harmony. Septimus laughed as he reached for the money and the I.O.U. lying in the center of the table. "Now Givens, I expect you to buy me a drink next week. The rest of you I thank for you patronage."

The rumbling sounds of discontent continued, "I lost twenty Galleons to you tonight, five last night, and ten Galleons the night before. My wife is not going to be happy. I'll see you next week, Lowell." The man got up and nodded at the rest of the group and walked for the fireplace to floo home.

"Right then, who wants to play again?" The rest of the players said their hasty goodbyes and lined up to use the floo. Septimus shrugged and began to count the night's winnings. "That Givens' boy has no gift for card games. All the better for me."

"Yeah, everything you get's going back to reconstruction, right? By my calculations we should have the shop back to full operating capacity by this time next year. Want to see my calculations?" Audrey asked as she whipped a sheet of parchment out of the sleeve of her robes.

Septimus reached for the parchment pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, mouth set in a firm line. "Audrey, in the future, please remember that we need to pay for our rooms here and eat Tom's cooking."

Audrey took the parchment back quill already in her hand. "Oh, right, I forgot about the food. Let's add another couple of months to my original estimation then."

"Make it four; I don't trust your math."

"I always said you were a smart man."

"And you were right."

Audrey chuckled as business at the Leaky Cauldron began to disperse for the evening and Septimus took another swig of firewhiskey. Septimus Lowell was a researcher into the origin of magical power, among other things, and also ran a bookshop known as the Septenary in Diagon Alley. He had taken on Audrey for an apprenticeship a couple of years ago and they had struck up an interesting relationship. Audrey thought the man was a bit nuts, she had reasons for it. Despite being a pureblood, Septimus had helped many Muggle-borns, like Audrey, out of the country. The old man then attempted to talk Audrey and her friend John Townsend into leaving, both refused and remained to help fellow members of the Muggle-born community out of the country. The operation headquarters was soon discovered and those in charge were then arrested and charged with aiding fugitives. At the trial that followed, all hell had broken loose. And Audrey could thank Septimus for those extra charges that were now on her record following the trial.

The old man rose out of his chair, steadying himself with his cane wincing as his shoulder cracked loudly. "Alright, I'm going upstairs." He put the money in the pocket of his robes. "Night kid."

"Goodnight!" Audrey propped he feet on the table and flipped through the notes she had taken during the course of the day. She remained there for hours reading and adding to her notes about the department. Sergius Sloane… what was his problem? Was he a man who had been stuck in the office for too long or a complete nutcase? Could he be the connection in the Floo Regulations department? No, he was off, but Audrey was having some sincere doubts about his ability to commit a serious crime.

Audrey placed her notes on the table next to the only lit candle in the room. Were these the kind of questions her father, a detective, asked himself as he tried to solve a case? From what she knew, he was a man who relied on cold hard facts. Audrey realized that she was relying on her gut reactions to these people. Many were of the nervous, lurching variety. Perhaps she was too biased about recent events to make a decent judgment.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps coming down the stairs. Audrey looked up quickly, not realizing she had drawn her wand.

"Audie? Why are you still up?"

"Just going over some stuff Cappie?" Audrey paused as the ten year old boy came into full view of the candlelight. Audrey lowered her wand. "Why are you even out of bed?"

"Couldn't sleep," Cappie answered simply. Audrey knew the reason was more complicated than that, but she wasn't going to press the issue tonight. If Cappie was going to talk at all it would be on his own terms at a time of his own choosing. The child reached for the parchment and pulled it towards him. His grey eyes widened slightly. "What _stuff_ are you going over? Are you spying on someone?" He looked lively, the last thing Audrey needed at midnight. "Can I help?"

Audrey paused for a moment, "Yes, if I find something I need stolen I'll let you know."

Cappie's face burned, "Can't you just let that whole book stealing incident go?"

Audrey smiled, "No, I've told you already that it was a very dangerous book you stole. That's why you're paying your debt to the shop, remember?"

Cappie yawned, "Bit hard to pay a debt to the Septenary when it's been burned to the ground."

"Come on, back to bed with you."

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **__Key players are introduced. I have a plan. Trust me; you're in for a wild ride. I will now laugh maniacally._

_And yes, Piper is Lute's mother from The Lyre. The Septenary and A Friend to Government Pigs are helping me sort out ideas for a Next Generation project. Character studies will be handled in one of those ten or twenty Facts fics. Lucy and some other characters are the only ones with some degree of development so far._

_You can draw your own conclusions about Audrey's anarchist comment. _

_**REVIEW!**_


	4. Meetings

I would like to take a moment to thank my reviewers

AoiKuroNekoSan, SoUsay234, Avanell, Guestlazy, Guest, and my awesome friend Ezile. Thank you all so much!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Meetings**

_June 15__th__ 1998_

"Rena! _Rena!_" Cappie shouted as he ran down the streets of Diagon Alley waving his hands excitedly over his head to get the attention of a small, slight girl walking down the street in the early morning. The girl stopped and turned around, tucking her wavy blonde hair behind her ears. "I think I found him, Serena!" Cappie stopped in front of her breathing heavily from the run from the Leaky Cauldron to the entrance to Knockturn Alley. "I really think I found him. You were right, he's still alive!"

Serena smiled wolfishly, "Then where is he? I've got a score to settle with him and I'd rather do it sooner than later."

Cappie leaned away from her slightly; Serena's passion and ruthlessness scared him. Some deeply seeded feeling in his gut told him Serena already had a plan for her mother's murderer's disposal. She might also have it centered around his involvement. He remembered the gruesome scene and Serena's screams as he and the other children held her back. Perhaps saving her life with that action. He and the other children swore revenge against Selene Scoresby's killer, but had found no leads to find the man. Cappie knew where he was now thanks to Audrey's notes about the Floo Regulations Department. It had included a very familiar name that made chills rise up Cappie's spine.

Sergius Slone.

That man's actions changed Serena in the worst way. This whole war had changed everybody. Cappie Garland no longer had the pleasurable innocence of childhood, he thought through his conflicts with others, and always kept his eyes open for the nearest escape route. Serena just went wild, driven by her desire for revenge. She disappeared into the depths of the criminal underworld looking for information on Sergius. Now that Cappie had given her what she had been looking for Serena was going to do something rash, he could feel it in his bones.

Not even old enough for a wand and planning a killer's murder. Where had the world gone so wrong?

"He's in the Ministry, Rena. Floo Regulations."

Serena paled. "Damn. How am I going to get to him then? All my plans involved him going into hiding after the war ended. The Ministry mustn't know he was involved in a murder then… I need a way in without bringing attention to myself."

Cappie tried to dig the toe of his shoe into the cobblestone street. His head told him to keep his mouth shut; his heart was saying something completely different. "Sometime during the summer, Ministry employees can bring their children into work with them to see how things are run."

"How is that supposed to help me?"

"I can give you directions to the visitor's entrance and give you the pass code. If you clean yourself up you should blend right in." Cappie brushed his shaggy black hair out of his eyes as he watched Serena wearily.

Serena smiled her wolfish, predatory smile once more. "Excellent. It's a good plan. I'll need you to help me find him and get him alone. We'll talk about this later." Before Cappie could fully realize what he had done Serena had taken off into Knockturn Alley.

Oo0Oo0

Audrey Causey had no idea of the children's dealings, for why would they tell her these things? Audrey may have been able to put a stop to it had she known. But she didn't and her life pressed on unaware of assassination plans made by children.

The Sneezing Snitch was a shady pub located in Diagon Alley infamous for its nearly nightly brawls. Though it was now becoming famous for its continuous playing of the piano by the pianist. Sebastian Harper played through each brawl with a smile on his face and managed to not get hit by the flying bottles. This impressed Scully, the owner and barkeep, greatly. The Sneezing Snitch also hosted the meetings of the Diagon Watch. Since the end of the war petty crime in the Alley had risen, much to the disgust of the local shopkeepers who then decided to take action. The Watch was the brainchild of the owner of the local sweet shop Russell Bennett. It didn't take long for the government to send an Enforcer out to take charge.

Celeste Cadwallader was that Enforcer; despite being from the Ministry she was proving to be rather popular around Diagon Alley. Her stoical persona, stern fairness, and desire to keep locals involved in any and all investigations were a big help in the matter. Audrey believed she was the only Ministry employee most of the locals trusted at this point. Audrey was a bit reluctant to admit she was gaining some respect for Cadwallader. But she had, there was no changing that.

Pulling out a chair near the back of the pub and propping her feet on the table Audrey waited, it was one of those rare occasions when she beat Septimus to a pub. She usually spent her evenings trying to locate him after he went out for a drink. That was not going to occur this evening seeing as Septimus was coming here for the meeting. He wanted to be there in case Cadwallader had any suspects; he would rather hear the information first hand.

Audrey pulled a piece of parchment out of her sleeve to take notes. Audrey had her doubts that any answers to the shopkeepers' questions would be answered tonight alone, but just in case she intended to be prepared.

"Hey, Aud, this seat taken?" John Townsend asked as he pulled out the chair next to her. "How's work going?"

"It's been odd, when are you getting out of the Ministry?"

John smiled, "St. Mungo's opens its Apprenticeship program at the end of the summer. I've sent in my application, and I have an interview and a pre-entry exam coming up. I'll still be working at the Ministry while I'm doing the program but I really think I can do this."

Audrey smiled, "I know you can, let us know if you need any help."

"Well, now that you mention it…" There was a sudden thud of a stack of books were dropped onto the table. Audrey's feet flew off the table and she almost tipped the chair over in shock.

"Merlin's pants, when's your exam?"

"The end of the summer, I've been reading any textbooks I could get for years and this is the exam material I'll need to know. I've got one on wand movements that you'd be able to help me with; Ellie's going to quiz me on cases and the results of spell misfire. There's other stuff too, but those are the things I need to work on the most."

"Good luck to you, Johnny-boy." Audrey looked up to find Septimus looking at the books over John's shoulder stroking his grey beard curiously. "Hmm, that looks familiar." He plucked a book off the top of the pile and flipped through the pages. "I read this book years ago during my time in the Auror Department. They have Healers reading this to? Is this a new edition?" Audrey and John shrugged as Septimus checked the publication date. "Ah, they went into reprint. Alright, what does an old timer like me need to get a drink around here?"

"Say the magic word," Audrey said flatly.

Septimus just smiled, "Of course, Miss Manners." He turned to the barkeep and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Oi, Scully! Give me some booze!"

Audrey felt her head hit the table as John roared with laughter.

Oo0Oo0

That evening's meeting was the most loud and anti-Ministry so far. No amount of public respect for Cadwallader was going to prevent the locals from speaking their mind about what had happened and tell Cadwallader to tell her Ministry friends to hurry up and find out where the rioters were hiding.

A man sitting at a table near the bar stood up quickly and shouted, "See here Cadwallader, if your high and mighty Ministry doesn't find out where those bloody Death Eaters are hiding they're going to have more problems than they can handle. I think they've reached their limit already." Cadwallader bristled like an angry cat. "And your lot will have a rebellion on your hands if this isn't resolved quickly."

Audrey shook as she listened to Givens' angry speech and the non-subtle threat it contained. A few of the other listeners who weren't nodding in agreement stood up in Cadwallader's defense. Tony Palmer, a newcomer to these meetings, stood and said, "With all due respect Mr. Givens, rebelling against the Ministry would not be a good move. They'll all probably think we're Death Eater sympathizers or something." There was a low rumble of agreement from the others.

"Hey Tony, those Death Eaters tried to kill me, why in the hell would the Ministry think I'd side with them?" Audrey shouted over the rumble of voices.

"Tony's right, we raise hell and cause problems there's no telling what will happen. We'll most-likely be taken in for the same interrogation methods used on Death Eaters and similar criminals." Lucia Selwyn stood in the doorway. "Sorry I'm late by the way."

"It's all right, Lucia!" Scully shouted from behind the bar, "Have some wine! We're going to need it tonight."

A man sitting at the table in front of Audrey stood up, "Yeah Selwyn, your family would know all about those methods used on You-Know-Who sympathizers, wouldn't they? I guess you'd know a lot about that particular topic yourself."

John, Audrey, and Septimus stood quickly and pointed their wands, (Or in Septimus' case a cane), at the back of the man's head.

"Hey Fowler, just so we're clear, it's true the Selwyn's are known practitioners of the Dark Arts and You-Know-Who supporters. And that they're a right fowl lot to begin with. But let's remember one little detail. They are not my family," Lucia smirked, much to Fowler's confusion, "_my_ family is standing right behind you with their wands pointed at the back of your head."

Fowler turned around slowly to find Audrey's wand dead even with his nose. Audrey's voice was cold and when she spoke it sent chills down the spines of everyone inside the Sneezing Snitch. "Insult my family again, I dare you."

"Don't insult my niece by comparing her to those worthless bigots we have the misfortune to be related too." Septimus said softly as the pub remained silent from Audrey's statement. Septimus never drew his wand unless he was going to use it; he rarely used it for idle threats.

Celeste Cadwallader looked at every attendant to this meeting and smiled grimly. "Anyone else have anything to say?" The pub remained quiet. "Good, let's keep it that way. Miss Selwyn, you may take a seat. Causey, Lowell, Townsend put your wands away before you put Fowler's eye out. Yes Lowell, that does include your cane. Now that we've cleared the air in here we can talk about the real reason we're all here. I want you to tell me anything you have heard about the targets and causes of the riot you have heard about since out last meeting. Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

The Sneezing Snitch remained silent for a moment before it broke out into an excited babble. The locals had had time to swap theories, wild and outlandish ones that had only grown more so since the riot. One theory that Audrey had found highly entertaining was one involving the Ministry trying to cover up an experiment gone wrong in the Department of Mysteries. Another was one involving a huge cover-up of some sort. But those were only the ones Audrey had overheard while she hung around the Leaky Cauldron during the late nights while she played cards. Some she had heard from people where were not intoxicated involved the targeting of Muggle-borns. There was a lot of evidence to support that theory, most of the shops burned down were run by Muggle-borns, but there were also some run by half-bloods and blood-traitors like Septimus. But many people did not want to believe that attacking the businesses of Muggle-borns was the only reason.

"I heard it's part of a plan for You-Know-Who's supporters to attempt another take over!"

"What if they were after something!"

"C'mon Quincy, they were after _someone!"_

"Bull! It was a random act of violence. Nothing more, nothing less."

Audrey started scratching down every theory she heard.

"I heard a rumor that it was a big political statement by pureblood supremacists."

John hunched his shoulders and clenched his wand tightly in his hand.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Someone shouted sarcastically as the pub erupted in laughter.

Septimus leaned over to read what was being written on Audrey's parchment. "Nobody here has a clue, do they?"

Audrey shook her head as Lucia stood up and mentioned a rumored revenge plot. Septimus took a long drink from the flask of whiskey on his hip. For the next hour, the rumors grew crazier as everyone became steadily drunk. This led to one of the more civil brawls ever experienced in the Sneezing Snitch.

And it all began with one little remark from Septimus. "Hey, Fowler, I think you owe me some money and a drink."

Fowler had then drawn his wand and several others had followed suit, jinxing their enemies and business competition. Audrey yelped as a leg-locker curse skimmed the top of her head. She then ducked under the table with John and Lucia following. Septimus was laughing manically as he shot stunners into the crowd. Audrey always knew the man was mad. She looked at John and Lucia who had placed their hands on the table's underside ready to flip it over to use it as a shield. Audrey took out her wand as her friends flipped the table over and she began shooting stunners into the crowd. Somewhere near the bar Audrey heard Cadwallader calling the meeting to a close as Sebastian Harper played a fast upbeat song on the piano.

Oo0Oo0

"Hey, does my lip look swollen to you?"

Audrey took a quick look at John's lower lip. "Yeah, I think it's a bit swollen. What hit you?"

"Your elbow."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Ellie will, but I'll just tell her it was a freak accident involving a spoon."

"Why a spoon?"

"I have no idea."

The two continued their walk in silence. Septimus and Lucia had left after the fight while John and Audrey stayed to help clean up the mess. Septimus being too sloshed to be of any help, Lucia volunteered to take him back to the Leaky Cauldron. Audrey wondered how Septimus could do this on an almost nightly basis.

John stopped and turned around suddenly. Audrey raised an eyebrow as she followed John's gaze finding this scene oddly familiar. The sound of John's muttering, "That is sad," never registered in Audrey's mind.

The scene was familiar enough, only now Audrey could put a name to the tall, redheaded man who was helping the surviving twin home.

"Maybe we should give him a hand," Audrey said quietly. John winced as George began to sing a wizard drinking song and fell over. "That's nice."

"Let's go Audie," John said as he jogged over towards the two redheaded men. "Hey, Weatherby, you want some help?"

Audrey rolled her eyes as she went to go help pick up George off the street.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **_I do like to explore how things that happened during the war affected completely different people. I may have mentioned this before.

Alright, let's talk about revenge. It's an old business with little to no pay. It's a motivator if someone has wronged another person. Serena Scoresby lost her only parental figure during the war, she knows who did it. I think Serena's gone off the deep end in grief and at least wants to expose him for murder if she can't kill him. But she knows she may need help from Cappie to get to Sergius. But let's be honest here, any plan cooked up by a couple of ten year olds is going to have some major holes in it. Does that make you feel better?

Alright, this was mostly filler, but Serena and Cappie's scene may or may not be important to the plot.

_**REVIEW**_


	5. The Department of Mysteries

**Chapter Five: The Department of Mysteries **

_June 17__th__ 1998_

Audrey was an early riser. She hated sleeping in, up by seven in bed by eleven. Between the hours of eleven and seven, Audrey slept like the dead. Nothing short of the smell of good cooking and screaming would wake her. It was the former that woke her this morning at seven thirty. Oversleeping left her irritated.

Creeping quietly past Lucia's bed where the sound of snoring could be heard from under the quilt, Audrey slipped into the hall. As she closed the door she heard the sound of hushed whispering coming from her right. Glancing over, Audrey found John Townsend having a lively one-sided conversation with his infant son.

"We're going to let mummy sleep in today. Why? Well Junior, it's time I was honest with you about your mum. She's insane. I love her, but she has violent reactions to being woken up by anybody but you. I found this out after we eloped, I'll spare you the details. All you need to know is that I learned my lesson." Junior smiled, "You're your mum's son all right."

Audrey giggled, the noise caught John's attention. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. Letting Ellie sleep in?"

"Yeah, she borrowed the kitchen last night to make some bread to sell. It'll be gone by lunch, mark my words."

"I have no doubts."

Ellie Townsend made fantastic bread and other baked goods. She had been a bit depressed without regular access to a kitchen since her shop and flat was burned down. She had finally talked Tom into letting her use the kitchen to bake things to sell for some money. Ellie had been doing that for three nights after the Leaky closed.

Waving to John over her shoulder as she continued downstairs passing a rather irate Celeste Cadwallader on her way down for breakfast. Cadwallader was muttering something about little brat children. Audrey's eyes followed her up the steps and realized in a violet housecoat and hair down, she seemed almost human. There were some shouts coming from dartboard near the steps. Audrey peered over the railings to find Cappie shaking hands with one of the regulars and then turning to face the board with a devious gleam in his eyes. Audrey leaned over for a better look and noticed the crowd gathering.

"Alright, three shots each boy, your target is that little red spot in the center."

"You've said that three times already Mr. Fowler, I think I've got it." The crowd chuckled as Cappie gave Mr. Fowler a warm smile. "How about you take the first shot? Me being new to this and all…"

"Alright then, watch carefully. You might learn something." Fowler fired three darts, one after another, into the board. Two hit the bull's-eye one missed by a couple of centimeters. "Your turn, Cappie."

Audrey watched Cappie closely as the darts were removed by a bystander. When he had cleared, Cappie prepared to fire. Three shots, all into the bull's-eye. There was silence from the crowd for a moment as Cappie smiled, removed his hat, and swept the money that was on a nearby table into it and took off out the door. "Thanks!" he shouted as the door closed behind him.

"I think you just got hustled, Fowler."

"Shuddup."

Oo0Oo0

That week's schedule was hanging upside down on the wall. Audrey tilted her head slightly as she fixed the collar of her uniform. She found her name near the top with some effort and ran her finger across the paper to find her station. Dawson liked to keep people on their toes by switching them out for other posts in the empire. Audrey double checked the paper before turning around to ask someone where the Department of Mysteries was. She found herself eyelevel with Henry Dawson's chin.

"Good morning Mr. Dawson!"

"Morning Miss Causey, how are you?"

"Fine."

His eyes were focused on the paper over Audrey's head. "I think there's something wrong with that assignment sheet."

"I think so too."

_"Walker!"_

There was the sound of footsteps running quickly into the room. "Yes, Mr. Dawson?"

"You hung the assignment sheet upside down last night." Dawson sighed as Walker's smile threatened to split his face in two. "Alright, who was she?"

"Who were _they_, Henry? _They._"

Dawson's eyes widened as Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Walker, do I want you to explain?"

Walker ignored him, "Twins. And not just any kind of twins. _Identical _twins." His smile got bigger. Dawson cringed. "Imagine Miss Selwyn with smaller breasts and Miss Causey's legs." Audrey adjusted the front of her uniform as she focused her gave intently on her boots. "I had an interesting evening that only became more so when we went back to my flat and-"

_"Walker!"_

"Okay, okay, I'm going to work now."

"Give me strength." He turned to Audrey with a tired look on his face as Walker ran out to the front desk. "Alright, I'm sending you to the D of M today. It seems right up your alley of interests, say hello to Oddball for me, don't let the Unspeakables talk you into experimentation, I lost three guards that way, and have fun."

He then took Audrey by the shoulders and steered her out the door, giving her directions to the entrance before closing the office door behind her. Audrey looked back at the closed door for a moment before walking to the lift to go to her post. The lift was quiet and empty, peace at last. As she felt herself dropping down deeper under the streets of London the air grew steadily more chilled. Audrey saw her own foggy breath in front of her face as the lift opened.

Torches floated in a perfect line on each wall. Audrey peered at them wearily as she cast a warming spell on her hands. The stone walls looked almost alive in the torchlight. She shivered and ran the rest of the way down the corridor. Audrey stopped when the desk came into view with something strange on top of it. It was a human figure sitting with his legs crossed on the desktop. Oddball was meditating.

Audrey always thought that Oddball resembled a hippie with his scruffy facial hair and long ponytail. His uniform was well worn from his years in the Ministry Security. He said this one was lucky and refused to get a new one. It also, rumor had it, belonged to his father.

Oddball shifted on the desk and opened one eye sleepily. He gave Audrey a grin before resuming his meditation; he had taken a vow to not say anything until after the lunch hour for the next week. He never said why. But Lucia had a theory that he was trying to preserve his voice for a singing audition. Audrey returned the grin and sat down in the chair on her half of the desk and reached for Oddball's copy of the Quibbler. He was the guy who brought in the reading material every morning; he had the paper placed next to a sign on the coffee table next to the assignment sheet that said _'First come, first serve.'_

"So, is it always this quiet down here?"

The silence was the only answer, followed by the steady _drip, drip_ of water from a leaky pipe.

"Should I take that as a yes?"

He nodded.

"Okay then." Audrey paused for a minute, "How long have working for security?"

Oddball held up a finger, then raised his other hand in a closed fist.

"Ten years?"

He nodded.

"How long have you been down here?"

Oddball held up both hands.

"Five, no wait, ten years? You've been down here ten years? Merlin's trousers, that's horrible. I wouldn't make it sitting at the desk down here for ten years without researching something? How do you do it?"

He shrugged, smiled and stretched before resuming his meditation.

Audrey sighed and started to read Oddball's Quibbler.

Oo0Oo0

Two hours went by in complete silence, Oddball wouldn't speak until after lunch and Audrey was done talking to herself. She didn't need to hear her own voice in a one-sided conversation. The most interesting thing that had occurred was Piper Collins running into work late and leaping over the desk shouting loudly about her alarm clock. Oddball about broke his vow of silence.

Audrey put her head on the desk. Security was not allowed back into the department unless there was a disturbance or somebody from upstairs needed to see someone for document that was too valuable to be sent alone. She'd love to go back there, get her hands on some of those documents. The government had the resources to study just about anything related to magic. It made Audrey green with envy. Septimus ran a bookshop to fund his projects. That three hundred galleon reward would go a very long way. Then she remembered the debt to the Leaky Cauldron and realized she was going to need more than that. Especially since the seizing of their vaults during the war, with the Ministry taking their sweet time restoring them, Septimus was pulling every favor at his disposal to keep a roof over the heads of every member of his operation.

There was the sound of that blasted lift voice coming from the end of the tunnel. Maybe it was Lucia or Walker to tell them that it was time for lunch, seeing as the clock down here didn't work. Footsteps. Audrey closed her eyes for a moment focusing on the steady sounds. They sounded like a man's. It was probably Walker.

"Hey Walker, what do you need?"

"Who's Walker?"

Audrey opened her eyes to find that man from lunch a couple of days ago. She looked over at Oddball who was watching the scene with interest as he scratched his head quizzically and shrugged. Audrey looked at the Junior Assistant and raised an eyebrow. He imitated the gesture.

"He's another security guard. What do you need?"

"The Minister sent me to pick up the department status reports. It's too dangerous to send them up alone." Percy then took a piece of parchment out of the sleeve of his robes. "This should let me go and get what I need."

Audrey took the parchment from his hands and read it over while Oddball looked over her shoulder. "It looks to be in order, but we can't send you in there alone. It's regulation apparently."

"I understand."

"Hey Oddball, you want to-"

Oddball smiled, pointed at Audrey, and then pointed at the black door behind them.

Oo0Oo0

Audrey held her wand firmly as she looked around the Department of Mysteries, it was dark, and possessed a slightly depressing atmosphere. She shivered as she watched the shadows dance on the walls. Moving her lighted wand to the map Oddball had given her, Audrey examined the layout of the floor and where the department head's office in the back of the facility in the Time Chamber. The size of the department caused Oddball mark a route through the facility. The main route consisted of a spinning room of some sort which they were standing in now, entering any one door should take them to a room where they could start walking through the facility.

The doors started to spin wildly they made Audrey dizzy to watch. She stepped backwards onto the Percy's foot. The room finally stopped spinning and they walked through the door ahead of them. The room was strange; it was covered in plant life that seemed to move on its own accord. A vine crashed down in front of Audrey and twitched feebly. Audrey stepped back as it moved back into the garden.

"Where exactly are we?"

"The Department of Mysteries."

Audrey chuckled, and continued walking watching the plants wearily.

The air was warm and humid inside the large chamber. The ceiling was high above their heads, almost cathedral like, the plants reached for the ceiling where there was a bright light floating. It was a nice set up they had in here for being miles underground.

"I wonder what they're studying down here. Do you think it's something we can use someday?"

"No."

"Pessimist."

"I'm being reasonable."

"Reasonable? It doesn't sound like it."

"How long before anything down here is available to the public?"

Okay, he had a point. Audrey wasn't going to admit it though.

"Besides," he was examining a flower that was swaying back and forth that seemed to be examining the trespassers with interest that was unusual for most plant species. "I do believe this is some kind of illegal cross breed of some sort."

Audrey walked over for a closer look. "Actually, that's a perfectly legal South American plant." The plant lurched forward as if it was trying to hit them.

"How nice."

They continued walking down the marked path between the knee-high wooden fences that kept the less dangerous plants away. The path diverged up ahead and Audrey pulled out the map. According to the map they were to take the left path was the shorter way to get to the Time chamber where the offices were, the right path was the longer way and would lead them through a section of extremely dangerous plants that were being studied for various reasons. When would Audrey get a chance to see those? But those papers needed to be picked up.

"Which way?"

"This way," Audrey pointed down the longer route where the dangerous plants were located and strode down the path. She could always turn back if things got messy. The walk was perfectly silent aside from the rustling of leaves from the other side of the steadily rising fence. She stopped to examine a large hand like vine that was moving over the fence. "Wow… I wonder what this is?" The hand twitched before it lurched forward, past Audrey and grabbed Percy who gave a shout of surprise as he tried to reach for his wand. Audrey ran over and managed to grab the Percy's foot before he was to high in the air. The vine-hand continued upwards, lifting Audrey into the air, it seemed to realize it had and extra passenger and started to shake her loose. Audrey hit the floor with a thud and a rather large shoe in her hand as Percy disappeared over the other side of the fence. "Well, this isn't good." She tossed the shoe over her shoulder and rose to her feet. Walking off to get Oddball to help her sounded like a good idea, but that may take to long for help to arrive. And Audrey had a feeling that if anything happened to the Minister's errand boy she'd be fired.

Audrey took her wand out of the holster around her leg and walked quietly towards the fence. Placing her hand on the top of the fence she pulled herself up to look over. It was a mess of tangled plants and trees. Audrey thought they may need to find a good gardener. She took one last look for trouble before placing her wand back in the holster to get over the fence more easily. As Audrey's feet touched the grass on the otherside she felt something like a large hand grabbing her around her waist and hoisting her into the air and deeper into the underground jungle where no-one could her screams.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__I can't be the only one who thinks there's some creepy stuff and stranger people in the Department of Mysteries. _

_I'm not very happy with this chapter. It was hard to write though, so maybe I should feel that way. Oh well._


	6. The Hall

**Chapter 6: The Hall**

_June 17__th__ 1998_

_The swing creaked as it rocked back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth… Audrey sat down on it and pushed it back as if she meant to swing like she did when she was a child. Everything that she could see in the distance was a soft grey color until something small appeared in front of her. _

_"Why did he leave?" The figure spoke with the voice of a much younger Audrey, "Doesn't he love me? What did I do wrong?"_

_The little Audrey was clutching a teddy bear to her chest and looking at her older self sadly. Her long mousy brown hair was hanging in her eyes and her bright yellow sundress hung around her knees. Audrey recognized the dress from a picture she grandparents had taken over a decade ago. _

_"I'm sorry daddy; I promise I'll be good!"_

_All of the color from the little Audrey vanished leaving her to disappear into the rising mist._

_"I'll be a good girl, really!"_

_And Audrey was left alone again. Digging her feet into the earth to push herself back to take off into the misty air. When something began to form in front of her again, Audrey skidded to a halt. _

_The mist began to morph into something familiar. It was a grayish white figure that resembled a tall man. It was very familiar. The only coloration in the mist-man was the pale grey-blue eyes. The same ones that Audrey possessed. It looked at her angrily before turning his back to her and beginning to disappear slowly._

_"Don't leave dad!"_

Oo0Oo0

"Oh, who do you think she is Thorn?"

"I think she's from… Upstairs."

"You don't say! I wonder what's going on up there?"

"Nothing as interesting as what we do down here, Leaf."

Audrey felt somebody leaning over her and opened her eyes quickly and sat up almost hitting the woman leaning over her in the nose. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Welcome to the Plant Chamber. Where Thorn and I study plants for medical and other top secret purposes. My name is Leaf by the way. Well, that's more like my codename."

The man called Thorn gave Leaf a warning look as he looked Audrey over carefully. He was a rather average looking blond man with a hawkish nose. "This is our headquarters; we have samples from all over the world to study. Why are you here?"

Audrey shrunk away from Thorn, he was a scary fellow. "I was taking a man to pick up the department reports when some plant grabbed him and dragged him over the fence."

"Oh, that plant is part of our studies…" Leaf said quietly.

"Her name is Bertha."

"Bertha?"

Thorn shifted his gaze around the one room of their headquarters. It was small with two other beds, a couch, cupboard, and a stove, also a desk and a small filing cabinet in the corner. These items were evidence of this place being a long term study facility. Septimus had told her a few stories from his time as an apprentice researcher and how strange some of the researchers there had gotten after a couple of weeks of being hold up in a room like this. Audrey started to wonder how long Leaf and Thorn had been down here.

"Yes, Bertha is an imported plant with a bit of a wild streak. She likes bright things, like lit wands, fire, gingers-" Leaf's list was cut short when Audrey interrupted.

"Wait; is Bertha one of those living fireproof plants that were discovered near Pompeii?"

Leaf smiled, "Yes, one of the seeds anyway. We discovered a couple of months ago that she is highly attracted to bright colors when one of our security guards came in to take care of something wearing this rather gaudy feathery necklace. Well, Bertha snatched him up for it." Audrey's eyes widened. "Oh, don't worry about it, Oddball recovered and learned not to come this way if he was wearing bright things. Or not to come this way at all actually, I miss his visits." Audrey felt her face pale as Thorn walked over to the room's only window.

"I say, there's Bertha now." He looked over at Audrey pensively. "I guess we don't have to call security to come and rescue the poor fellow since they're already here." Audrey leapt off the couch and peered out the window over Thorn's shoulder, thoroughly convinced she was going to see her boss strolling through the surrounding trees. Then she realized he was referring to her and took a step back to compose herself.

"Where's Bertha's lair then?"

"West of headquarters."

"Anything I need to know?" Audrey asked as she adjusted the collar of her uniform and tightened her holster.

Thorn smiled, "Don't let her grab you and you'll be just fine. And we'd appreciate it if Bertha was unharmed. Leaf will take you to the path we've marked out to Bertha's lair."

Leaf ran over and grasped Audrey's upper arm and dragged her out the door. Audrey blinked rapidly as she was exposed to the bright lights at the ceiling. It seemed brighter then it was earlier, perhaps it corresponded to the position of the sun which would make it around noon now. Maybe if she hurried in her retrieval of the Junior Assistant she could still get some lunch. They were having vegetable soup today…

"Hey, Leaf, something grabbed me when I came over the fence, what was it? Was it Bertha?" Audrey asked as they stepped delicately over the roots of a large tree whose branches seemed to twist and turn without the need for a breeze.

Leaf looked at Audrey curiously, "I found you while I was doing my rounds. Whatever snatched you up left you by my irrigation system. I didn't see anything, but some of the plants and trees here act in mysterious ways, so it could have been anything."

"How comforting."

The trekked on in silence watching the vines and those funny weeds along the path they were walking. Leaf stopped for a moment, removed a flask hanging off her belt and held it out to Audrey. "Want some water before I point you to Bertha's?"

"Sure," Audrey took the flask noting that it was engrained with the symbol of the Department of Mysteries, and the Research Society. Audrey felt her eye give an involuntary twitch. The head of the Research Society was someone that neither Septimus nor Audrey liked. Cavan Toft was Septimus' former partner and used Septimus' discoveries to get rich and become the head of the organization. Leaving Septimus to fend for himself for funding, seeing as Toft refused to sign the papers that would loan money to fund the Septenary's projects.

Audrey removed the cork as Leaf tilted her head as she prepared to ask a question, "So, is this bloke Bertha snatched up your boyfriend?"

Audrey's eyes widened and the flask almost fell out of her hand. That was a disturbing thought. "Boyfriend?"

Leaf seemed to miss the meaning of Audrey's befuddled expression.

"You know, potential breeding partner!"

Audrey promptly started choking as she gave the flask back to Leaf. "No… just no…"

"Oh, well, if he was I would have found that to be terribly romantic. Bertha's place is just down this path here," Leaf pointed down a small dark, dirt path. She then pointed away from the path. "Straight this way is the fastest route out of this sector. If you get placed here permanently I guess I'll see you around!" Leaf waved and smiled and took off, leaping agilely over roots and away from the vines that tried to grab her.

Audrey turned to face the dark path to the lair of Bertha. The thought of lighting her wand came to mind to attract the beast, but remembering Bertha's likes and dislikes destroyed that idea. She didn't fancy the idea of being dragged of like some useless bureaucrat.

In the distance she heard a voice shouting something Audrey could not quite make out from where she was standing currently. She dove behind nearby tree, wand out and ready. She had a plan for Bertha. Oh yes, keep the plant alive and save her job. This might just work. She moved forward quietly stepping back onto the path. Audrey smiled slightly as she noticed one of the vines twitch next to the path. Bertha may have had an inkling that she had unwelcome company. Audrey kept walking.

"Is this some kind of retribution?"

The voice came from somewhere above Audrey's head. She looked up and found nothing but vines hanging off the branches. Audrey knew the voice; she just could not place where it was coming from.

Bertha reminded her of the Beast, a plant Septimus kept in the back room during her first year of employment. Audrey was convinced that it was, like many things in the back room, illegal. It was apparently responsible for Septimus' last Apprentice/Shopkeeper quitting a week into the job then burning his contract in the process. He had also, according to eyewitness accounts, run out screaming that the old man was insane. Septimus never clarified why.

And there she was…

Vines suddenly shot out of the earth and wrapped themselves around Audrey's legs and torso. Audrey yelled as she hit the ground and struggled to get away, keeping a tight grip on her wand. She waved her wand quickly and one of the vines started to wither enabling Audrey to break free and run away from the remaining vines. Audrey's eyes darted from one tree to the next to each bit of movement on the ground. She remembered that Leaf and Thorn wanted the plant unharmed. It would probably be wiser just to grab the bloody bureaucrat and run.

_"Vestigium!" _A white light shot out of the end of Audrey's wand and rose into the air and up a nearby tree_. "Flagarate." _A red X appeared on the trunk of the tree, "Alright then."

She backed away from the vine that shot out from behind a nearby tree and ducking behind a large rock. Audrey stunned the hand that was coming out of the earth before hitting it with a freezing spell. The vine hand was covered in icicles; freezing spells had always been a specialty. Audrey peered over the rock nervously, listening carefully for anything else that would be coming for her. Hearing nothing, Audrey stood and walked over to the tree she had marked. She looked up into the branches tilting her head slightly.

"You okay up there?"

"What do you think?" Percy's voice answered from the treetop.

Audrey smiled, "You sound fine to me."

"Your powers of deduction astound me."

"I could always leave you up there you know!"

Oo0Oo0

"Are you going to give me the map back?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Miss Causey-"

"Audrey!"

"The fact you took us in completely the wrong direction leads me to the conclusion that you are not to be trusted with the map."

Audrey chuckled nervously as they stepped into the Time Chamber. Perhaps her curiosity had led to a rather avoidable situation, but really, she couldn't help herself. There was so much stuff down here that could quench that thirst for knowledge. Shame everything of interest was so well guarded. Why did the Ministry have to make things so difficult?

There was a kind of rushed hustle around this place; Audrey looked closely at some of the workers who were busy with some enchantments of things that resembled small hourglasses. She had no clue what they were. Turning back around full circle Audrey caught up with Percy who was walking quickly down the aisle of desks to a door at the other end. He knocked rapidly as he put the map in the pocket of his robes, a feminine voice responded from the other side. "Coming!"

Piper Collins answered with a chipper smile and a white lab robe covering her street clothes, her black and purple hair pulled back into a messy bun revealing every stud in her ears. She stepped aside to let them into her office. "Hey you two, what are you doing down here? You missed lunch," she gave Percy a rather evil looking smile; "Your mum's going _kill_ you if she finds out. And I have some sincere doubts she'll buy the whole 'I was busy with work' excuse again."

"Nice to see you to Piper, and that was not an excuse, I really was busy." Percy sat down in one of the wooden chairs by the desk, "I'm looking for Mr. Sheridan, he's not sitting at his desk and I have been sent down to pick up the department reports."

Audrey was paying no mind to the conversation taking place a couple of feet away. She was busy poking through the items that were sitting in Piper's office. It looked like stuff from all over the facility. Jars with eyes that seemed to be watching their every move, little magical hands sorting through papers on the desk and occasionally throwing papers into the trash, but the most fascinating thing here was a jar that continuously showed the life cycle of a little bird. Audrey watched it for a full fifteen minutes while Piper and Piper exchanged information.

"I'm telling you mate, my next few years of apprenticeship might just kill me. They're throwing more dangerous stuff in here twice weekly now and let me tell you, the last one almost destroyed the lute hanging over my door. My father and I made that before my first year," Audrey turned to listen to Piper's story. "It's my favorite instrument, there's just something so classy and old fashioned about it. Well, I've probably bored you enough." Piper walked over to her desk and turned on the wireless and the sound of classical music drifted through the cramped office. "Mr. Sheridan's down visiting the Head of the Hall of Prophecy. If you hurry, you might be able to catch him before he goes to check on the Plant Emporium, I have my doubts you want to see Bertha again."

"How could you-"

"Every hair on your head is out of place," Piper replied with a smile. "Besides, you've got dirt all over our clothes." She looked around the office quickly. "Hey, I'll walk you two down to the Hall of Prophecy, how does that sound? I know a shortcut and I need to take a break anyway." Piper then walked out the door with Percy and Audrey in tow.

She led them through a maze of doors and desks that made Audrey's head spin as she tried to commit the path to memory in case she ever needed to use it again. The final door took them to an empty room with an arch in the center. Something that sounded like a familiar voice seemed to come from the arch. Audrey stopped short and stared at it listening to the voices. She did not notice that Percy had stopped as well. Piper stopped and looked at the two for a moment before grabbing them by the sleeves and dragging them out of the room.

Oo0Oo0

The Hall of Prophecy was aisle upon aisle of scattered orbs that supposedly contained prophecies that could change the world. If one believed such things. Audrey really put no stock in such things believing that one'sown choices determined their own destinies. Though, then again, Audrey had never really thought too much about that either. Though the words of an elderly woman a few weeks before the loss of her home had gotten her paranoid, she had placed the warning out of her mind having more pressing issues to be concerned with.

They walked silently through the Hall looking wearily at the tall shelves; as if afraid they might topple over on top of them. Not a word was spoken but the unspoken agreement was they were to stay close. It was a place that was to foreboding to wander about alone. Finally reaching the end of the large room gave Audrey a sense of relief similar to being doused with ice water. Percy pointed out a door to the far right wall marked with a small plaque, "I think that's it." Audrey followed, her hand resting on the holster around her leg. She felt like she was being watched and it was an uncomfortable feeling. Over a month after Voldemort's fall and she was still paranoid. Damn war.

He knocked on the door rapidly as Audrey leaned back against the wall looking into the rows of aisles before her. So she could she if anything was watching, Audrey would rather see them first so she could at least get a good shot if they fired. She was getting as paranoid as Septimus now. Well, he often said he didn't survive wars and Pureblood Machiavellian power struggles by being stupid. Audrey survived one war under his direction and was grateful for that bit of paranoid survival strategy. Though she wondered how those upper-class power struggles would have worked seeing as the Purebloods could not quite kill each other as they needed to breed.

The door swung open and a young man opened the door gave them both surprised looks before ushering them inside. The front office was rather cozy looking with boxes of rolled up parchment all over. Percy's nose wrinkled in distain for the mess. Audrey would be willing to bet her paycheck that this man's entire home was what she would consider obnoxiously clean. Bloody neat freaks were multiplying.

"Sorry about the mess. My filing cabinet doesn't hold the temporary minor predictions made by local fortunetellers. All of them are from this last month apparently." The man knelt in front of one of the boxes where there was rolled up parchment was scattered around it. "Really, trying to sort this stuff is right next to impossible."

"I'm here to pick up the Department reports from Mr. Sheridan if he's around." Percy said suddenly causing Audrey to roll her eyes. Though she doubted anyone beyond the research circles understood the trials and tribulations of apprenticeship.

The man looked Percy up and down taking in his rather disheveled appearance, "Through that door there. Mr. Sheridan's only been here a few minutes."

"Thank you," he replied curtly as he knocked on the door and stepped inside as it flew open.

As the door closed Audrey knelt down next to the frazzled looking assistant to help him sort through the minor predictions. A few minutes later Audrey stopped sorting for a moment as she pulled a roll of parchment with her name on it. Audrey could hear the old woman's voice as she began to recite the words that had haunted Audrey's dreams for weeks. Shaking her head, Audrey put the words out of her mind as the apprentice asked a question. "So, how long do you think that wand's been shoved up his-"

He never finished the question as the door to the office flew open and an elderly man walked out with a cane hovering and inch above the ground swinging back and forth in front of him. The man was blind. The apprentice moved papers out of the man's way quickly and shoved couple of boxes out of the way. The blind man was followed by Percy and a man Audrey presumed to be Mr. Sheridan.

"Got your papers?" Audrey asked as she placed the parchment in the box and stood. She was ready to leave this creepy place and see if the elves in the kitchen would consider giving her some leftovers.

"Yes, everything's in order. Thanks again Mr. Sheridan."

The man smiled and waved as they began their walk back to entrance.

Oo0Oo0

_**Author's Note: **__And my plot sprouts a bud. I'm back in school now, so updates may be less regular. Considering I like to try and stay a chapter ahead. This chapter just saved one from the scrap heap. I love it when that happens. _

_**Review!**_


	7. The Library

**Chapter Seven: The Library **

_June 18__th__ 1998_

Serena Scoresby was girl with aspirations, with the wits and the will to accomplish them. She had survived the final months of the war after her mother's public execution by using her friends unique skill sets as a survival strategy. Who would suspect a child of picking pockets and stealing from local vendors? Nobody unless they were seen. The children were careful; one distracted the target while the other robbed him blind. Since all but Serena had gone back with their remaining parents or godparents or in Cappie's case found a roof over his head with a job to sustain it. Aside from the robbery gone bad that gave him the roof to begin with. Stealing on one's own was considerably more difficult. Especially the supplies she needed for her assassination of her mother's murderer.

Untangling her long hair from her ponytail and running her fingers through her blonde locks, Serena hardly looked the part of Diagon's resident pickpocket and local pest. She looked like almost any other normal ten year old girl, but there was a world weary look in her eyes that made normal people re-evaluate their first impression. Serena would be the last to admit that she was having a difficult time on her own. She was a very proud girl.

There was a scuffling sound of somebody tripping over the cobblestone street that caught her attention. Serena looked up as she put her hair up again to find Cappie Garland picking himself up off the street. He shook his shaggy black hair out of his grey eyes as he rose to his feet with a wince. Serena didn't think too much of Cappie when her mother had brought him home after he got mouthy with a corrupt enforcer. Cappie had started to grow on her after a couple of months of misadventures and Quidditch verses Quadpot debate.

"Hey Rena!" Cappie was the only one who called her that. "Guess what I have."

"Food, water, a new hat."

"I wish! I have something better," he whipped his hat off his head with a smile and reached inside to pull out a small bag with a jingling sound. "I've had a heck of a time trying to find you. I won this in a darts match against some old bloke yesterday."

"You always were a good shot." Serena stepped lightly away from the wall, her feet not making a sound on the street beneath her as she walked towards Cappie. She took the small bag of money from her accomplice with a smile and peered inside. "This looks good, Cappie. Combined with my savings this out to get me everything I need."

"Serena," Cappie said softly as Serena looked at the small bag of money in her hands, hazel eyes gleaming with malice. Serena lifted her eyes from it to find her eyes even with Cappie's. She guessed he had grown since the start of the summer, she used to be taller than he was. "Are you sure this about this? I don't think it's to late to back out."

"Yes, I am sure."

Oo0Oo0

_**The Ministry has wronged us.**_

_They committed heinous acts in the guise of justice. Corrupted courts sent hundreds to Azkaban and murdered others for dodging the corrupted courts and Snatchers. Unjust murders and accusations over the supposed "Stealing of Magic". _

_You think things have changed, that laws against the Muggle-borns or Half-bloods have changed. No._

_We can still be denied jobs based on our blood status. We remain a prosecuted people and the government will do nothing to fix it. So we need to do something to fix this problem._

_The era of pureblood supremacy has ended. It is time to begin a new era of equality and to do it by any means possible._

_**M**__uggleborns __**F**__or __**R**__eformation is an organization focused solely on this ideal and its execution. We are open to all of those who have been wronged by the Ministry during the war. Our weekly meetings are held on Friday evenings at seven on the top floor of the Dragonfly Cafe in Diagon Alley._

Audrey stared blankly at the picture below the brochure, the picture of a woman coming out of Azkaban. Her face hollowed and sunken leaning heavily on the shoulder of a man who seemed to be limping heavily his shoulders shaking. Their eyes were darting nervously around the scene like those of a wild animal ready to run. Audrey felt herself begin to shake in anger. These people really made a point. The Ministry had wronged so many people, hurt many more. Possibly permanently, Audrey would love to get her hands on those Ministry employees from the Final Battle.

The pamphlet made a satisfying crunching sound as her hands tightened into fists. She would love to slip her fingers around Umbridge's throat. Her croaking sounded far better than the life sentence she would most likely receive from going to trial. Audrey really wanted to get a date for that trial and see if she and her friends could take the day off to watch, or if she and Lucia could get security posting in the courtrooms to take part in the riot that would follow if Umbridge was released.

Celeste Cadwallader looked around the main room of the Leaky Cauldron as the sound of the crumpling paper. Audrey inconspicuously kept her hands in her lap, hiding the evidence like a guilty child as Cadwallader lost interest and went back to her breakfast. She unfolded the paper enough to double check the time and location of the meeting again before slipping the pamphlet into her pocket. Audrey would think about it.

The participants in the Muggle-born Relocation Operation were still awaiting the date of the hearing that would have them formally cleared of all of their charges from the war. Audrey was going to wager a guess that major players in the Muggle-born genocide were going to be relocated from the Ministry to Azkaban first, so it could be years before the Relocation Operation were all cleared officially of their war crimes.

Long live the bureaucratic process.

Oo0Oo0

Audrey pulled her street clothes over her head in the security locker room's shower. The water here was warm and if she came to work early she could get a quick shower. Her tax galleons at work. She drew the curtain behind her as she stepped inside and turned on the water. Lucia liked to take long hot showers that set off the fire prevention charm when she was finished, leaving for the next person, who was usually Audrey, very little warm water.

Ten minutes later Audrey was putting on her work uniform and tightening her holster around her leg. It was only seven thirty; nobody would be here until five after eight. Until then, the opportunity to explore was very enticing. Audrey smiled and walked out the door of the locker room and up the stairs and through the short corridor that would take her to the other corridor that led to the Atrium.

Stepping out into the dully lit room with the melted statue in the center, Audrey smiled grimly at the recollections that statue's melted state brought her. She circled the fountain slowly and looked at the spurts of water sprouting out of it and chuckled. She and Septimus were a good team.

Turning her eyes towards the lifts at the other end of the Atrium, one of those lifts was a one way trip to the library and achieves. Audrey wondered if anybody was down there to open the place for a look around. She had not been down there yet.

Audrey stepped into the one-way lift and was almost thrown off her feet as it moved quickly through its route. She fell into the grate as it stopped as suddenly as it started. When the grates opened Audrey lost her balance completely and fell to the floor using her elbows to stop herself before her face became acquainted with the scratchy carpeted floor. She heard the lift was a bit jerky on the way down. Pulling herself to her feet Audrey managed to walk into the library.

Like many of the other libraries Audrey had found herself in it was very quiet. Unlike most other libraries the few librarians that could be seen were armed. Wands in holsters like those used by the security guards and the aurors. Their robes looked different from their uniforms and just as sturdy, like they were met to soften blows of some sort. That made no sense, this was a library. In Audrey's mind a place of peace and tranquility.

There were three librarians standing by the shelves of law books. One seemed to be giving orders to the other two; it was an old woman whose black librarian's robes were lined with white and a matching white belt around her waist. She pointed towards the back of the library and fixed her silver hair in a bun at the nape of her neck distractedly.

"Madam, are you sure this is a good idea?" The man whose robes were lined in blue asked as he fixed his collar nervously.

The old woman smiled mischievously, "The spells on the books we saved from the former administration need to be removed. I really think we did the job too well if we're having this much trouble. I don't even remember putting some of those spells on them actually, but that's the trouble with getting old I guess." This earned a chuckle from the librarians. "Alright, follow me then."

As they began to walk toward he stairs that would take them to the deeper levels of the library one librarian stopped short. "Are you sure it's wise to leave the new guy alone at the counter? I mean, Madam, won't he need the experience in the lower levels?"

The old woman smiled, "I had him down last week. He's still recovering from the book that tried to rip his nose off."

Audrey made a high pitched squeak of fright. It was the Septenary's backroom all over again. She turned slightly on her heel and walked quickly and softly through the tall shelves of books. Picking her way through the history, biology, reference books and just passed the law section she found a solitary figure at the table looking through books he was summoning off the shelf in the botany section. It took a moment for Audrey to recognize the man who had gotten captured by Bertha. Upon closer examination, Percy still looked a bit frazzled. Audrey covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter.

Percy stopped flipping through the books and looked at the bookshelf that Audrey had just ducked behind as she attempted to slip back up to the main floor. She moved quietly through the law section ignoring the young up and comers who were reading about the history of the law and the Ministry.

Soon, Audrey took a turn that led her to an area that she had never been in. Looking around she guessed she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Perhaps in the section relating to history was where she made her mistake. This area had no one in sight. Audrey turned to try and work her way through the maze of shelves and information. She didn't get too far before she heard a voice that from the other side of the shelf. Audrey slowly removed a book from the shelf and peered through to the other side.

Sergius Slone and a young woman were talking and browsing through the shelves. The woman had a sharp attractive face and wavy black hair pulled back in a tight bun beneath the rim of her hat. The way the woman carried herself confidently and with a bit of arrogance, seemed very familiar. She looked only a few years older than she did. Audrey suddenly felt very self-conscious.

Sergius' eyes were darting around the aisle as the woman leaned coolly against a table with her long legs crossed in front of her. "How are things Mr. Slone? Going well I hope."

"You could say that."

The woman gave an imitation of a pout. "You're not particularly chatty are you? Never straying from the answer to the question," her face changed to one of indifference, as her voice dropped to a mere whisper. Audrey strained to hear what was being said. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"Yes, and I believe your goals are ones I can sympathize with. Whatever you need, I will assist you."

The woman smiled as she stood and straightened her long black robes. "Thank you very much Mr. Slone. I'll be in touch soon." The woman turned and walked away leaving Slone to his own devices. Audrey watched the woman walk into another section before turning her eyes back to Slone who had gone back to browsing through the books. She shivered as she placed the book back on the shelf. What was the offer? Who was the woman? What were her goals? And what in the hell was going on? This sounded too much like one of Septimus' black market deals for Audrey to be comfortable.

Audrey took a deep breath and started to walk off after the woman but a voice coming from behind her stopped her. "Good morning Miss Causey."

Audrey winced as she felt her stomach drop into her feet. She felt like she had just lost her chance to follow the woman and get some answers about what she had just heard. She forced a smile, "Hello, I thought I told you to call me Audrey?" her forced smile became a truly wicked grin, forgetting all thought all thought of the woman. "Did you ever get your shoe back?"

Percy's slight grin changed to an embarrassed scowl as his ears turned a bright red. "No." Audrey thought the look on the man's face was priceless. He seemed to be recalling the capture by Bertha and the arrival to the entrance to the Department of Mysteries where Oddball had pointed out the fact that he was missing a shoe. Something that everyone else in the Department didn't find important, or unusual, enough to comment on.

"So, what are you looking for?" Audrey asked, noticing that his hands were empty of what reading material he had been looking at earlier.

"Information on that plant."

"Oh," Audrey chuckled nervously; she was willing to take full blame for that incident. "I'm really sorry about that." Being snatched up by a lifelike plant would be somewhat traumatizing for anybody.

"It's okay."

She looked away as her checks went pink. "I need to go check the assignment sheet upstairs."

"I need to go to work." As he said this he began walking towards the lift with Audrey following closely.

As they stepped into the lift Audrey noticed Percy fixing his tie. "It's still crooked mate." He continued to try and fix it. Audrey smiled, "You've got a crooked eye. Let me fix it." Audrey reached up and started to fix his tie. She really had no idea why that came out of her mouth. Let alone why she was fixing his tie. It was awkward, they didn't say anything. As Audrey released the tie she brought her eyes down to the tips of her boots and muttered, "It was annoying me."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem, my grandfather always had crooked ties too."

As the grates opened in the Atrium, Audrey walked out quickly as the lift began to fill with tired looking people. "See you later!"

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Alright, mild dose of shipping. A pinch more mystery, and an MFR pamphlet arrives. Yes, Audrey and Septimus destroyed the Atrium statue. That will be elaborated upon later, trust me. _

_Now, I'm curious, who is the favorite character in the story so far and why?_

_Or..._

_Give me your future theories about what will happen next._

_REVIEW!_


	8. Final Warnings

**Chapter Eight: Final Warnings**

_June 19__th__ 1998_

The man was silver-tongued. His voice rang with a kind of transfixing passion about his stance on the political matters. Audrey leaned against the wall in the back of the room listening to him rant and rave and bring the attendees to their feet in loud cheers of elation. The man that Audrey had dubbed Silvertongue, was a man in his mid-forties with an almost poetic way with words.

His voice rang through the room to stunned crowd about a new era of equality for those repressed classes. For those who were cheated and all of those who continued to be. This was what those who were murdered would have wanted. To bring down the Pureblood system that had existed or so long. The crowd stood and cheered at this point. Audrey shivered and wondered why she came to this meeting of the MFR.

Because they sounded promising.

Silvertongue continued his speech to cries of "Yes!"

Lucia and Septimus were Purebloods. Blood-traitors if one was going for accuracy, but Audrey had doubts that Silvertongue would take those who had broken with the upper-class into account into the new order. Let alone those who had broken with Pureblood ideals years ago.

"Full of himself, isn't he Audrey?"

Audrey turned to her left to find Russell Bennett looking at the scene before him with interest. Russell was an honest, straightforward, and uncomplicated man. Audrey thought him mad on occasion with all of his mental ideas. From a night patrol to protesting the Prophet, Russell was full of bright ideas. Though, surprisingly, many of his ideas worked. Somehow.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were a three-fourths blood or something," Audrey joked.

Russell smiled, "Both of my parents are half-bloods. And I wouldn't be here unless our esteemed speaker felt the need for a dessert bar." Audrey laughed drawing the attention of a couple of people in front of her. She blushed and stayed quiet. "Hey, this is dull. Want to go somewhere?"

Audrey nodded and followed Russell out the door and down the stairs and through the shop and into the empty streets. The only person was a local man who lived on the street by choice after the war, who was willing to divulge information for a bit of money. He waved at his frequent visitors who waved back and continued to talk.

"I've got a patrol shift with Lucia tonight. We're meeting in front of the Leaky Cauldron in a few minutes."

"I'll walk you over." Audrey gave Russell a confused look. "I don't like the idea of you walking around alone."

Oo0Oo0

"Why did you volunteer us to substitute for the Friday patrol? This sucks."

"I know Lucia, you've mentioned that eight times in four hours and I'm sick of hearing it."

"Can't we just call it quits for the evening? Cadwallader won't know if we slip off or not, besides if I wanted to have my chest ogled at I would've married that git like my parents wanted me to." Lucia slapped a very drunken man who was trying to the best of his ability to look down her robes.

"Hey, you took control of the situation and left. You said your parents were going to use you to raise their own standing remember?"

Lucia stopped, her long blond hair hiding her face from Audrey's view. "I just realized it's almost been a whole year since I ran away." Her hands moved to clutch at her shoulders to hug herself as her voice cracked slightly. "I-I'm proud of what I did. I probably shouldn't be as much as I am, they're still my parents. I spent my life trying to make them happy, trying to _earn_ their love and affection. But they always wanted the boy they could never have. I'm a girl; I couldn't inherit unless I get married to a suitable man. My dowry, you know."

"I never knew my parents. My father left when I was a little, and my mother died so my grandparents raised me." Audrey's eyes stung.

Lucia tucked her hair behind her ears and looked at Audrey curiously. "You never mentioned your father left, and I've not heard a thing about your mother. Does your father know you're a witch?"

Audrey snorted, "How would he? He never spoke to any of us after he left. And even if he did, the shock that he sired such an abomination might just kill him."

"I don't think you're an abomination."

"Yes, well, the whole magic thing is quite normal for you and I isn't it?"

Lucia laughed, "Okay, you have made a point. People are scared of what's different from their own norm." Her manner became solemn again, "If you met your father, would you tell him?"

"No. He's never been a part of my life and unless circumstances called for it I would keep my mouth shut. Besides, I have a life here, there's nothing to keep me in the Muggle world. And also, despite common beliefs among society, I believe there's a difference between a _father_ and a _dad_." Audrey paused for a moment and Lucia leaned towards her looking interested. "A dad teaches you and picks you up when you fall, supports you no matter what, and loves you despite your flaws and mistakes. A father is just there without the emotional support for his child, or just isn't there at all. I define being a mother and a mum the same way."

"I like those definitions, and I don't know why," Lucia smiled, "So, do you see my Uncle Septimus as a dad to you then? Because if you do then I can start referring to you as my cousin and see how my father likes being related to a Muggle-born." Lucia's smile widened, "And someday when you get married, would you ask Uncle Septimus to walk you down the aisle and give you away? I'd want a picture of that, what about you Aud?"

Audrey looked at the night sky pensively for a moment, "Depends on if he says yes or not."

"Yeah Aud, dear old dad's really going to say no."

Oo0Oo0

The Diagon Watch was a group of shopkeepers who wanted to root out the source of crime in the area since the war ended. Sick of being robbed, they got together and shared information about anything they heard or saw that fell into the category of strange and suspicious. Celeste Cadwallader was sent by the government to keep an eye on the watch; none of those involved liked that much. But that didn't stop them from liking Cadwallader as a person.

Audrey had a good idea who was behind most of the pick pocketing around the alley. Audrey just hadn't caught Serena Scoresby at it except for one time. Audrey had followed but decided to leave her be for now, having no idea what she would do if she caught her. Unlike Cappie who had stolen from her shop specifically, Audrey had no justifiable reason to chase Serena down. The other robberies remained mysteries.

Lucia and Audrey stopped in front of Leaky Cauldron as the sound of polka music could be heard from under the door. Audrey once more cursed Tom's love of polka and glared at the door. Lucia reached slowly for the door handle, seeming to be bracing herself for impact. "I want to go to bed but I wonder if that soft bed is worth walking through polka night?"

"I hope it is, this is the second polka night this week. I'm going to go see if I can grab Septimus out of the Sneezing Snitch before Tom locks up. I'll see you in the morning."

"Please, don't wake me up this time." Lucia opened the door and walked quickly inside as the sound of the music came through the door.

Audrey smiled, and turned to walk back to the Sneezing Snitch. This was part of her nightly routine. To say Septimus Lowell was fond of alcohol was an understatement; Audrey spent her evenings making sure he made it from the pub to the Leaky Cauldron in one piece. She didn't mind, she enjoyed the walk aside from Septimus being drunk. But she didn't like the idea of the older man walking home hardly in a state to defend himself.

The night was cool and Audrey pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Her teeth started chattering as her fingers fumbled with the edges of her cloak that were escaping her grasp as the wind suddenly picked up speed. The mist was rising around her ankles as Audrey continued to walk thinking that it was far too cool for summer weather. The mist rose and thickened to the point where she was unable to see the lights from the shop windows nearby. But Audrey kept walking for she felt as though something was pulling her towards something… Something important.

She felt her mind going blank as she continued to walk; there was no need to think about what was going on right now. Just to keep walking.

Because nothing was wrong.

Nothing at all.

There was a woman coming through the fog. She was an older lady with her gray hair pulled away from her face in a loose bun she was sitting in front of the remains of the Apothecary. Audrey stopped in front of the woman. The woman took a raspy breath before tapping her staff on the ground where a table appeared as sudden as the woman.

"Do you remember… Do you remember my warning?"

Audrey backed away slowly.

"_You will either live or die in the months to come, face a betrayal, face the traitor in a place you despise… To accomplish this you must lose what you hold dear." _The woman smiled, "I told this to you almost a month ago and still no progress. You don't know who the traitor is, and you fail to be concerned. With the end of the era heavy in the mind of the world I thought you would be more concerned then you are."

"I thought a new era's already started ma'am. With Voldemort dead and all that."

The woman recoiled either at the sound of his name or Audrey's uncalled for sarcasm. "Don't use that name! I don't care how dead he is! _Don't. Use. That. Name." _Her blind eyes were wild as she stared into nothing. Shivers traveled up Audrey's spine. "I gave you a warning, and I've warned you again, I won't give you a third. Tell your friend, Lucia, isn't it?" She smiled, and Audrey began backing away again at a much faster pace. "To heed the warnings of a withered old hag like me, for she will never see herself as old as I."

Audrey felt her throat tighten, Lucia was going to _die!_ The charming, cheeky, overconfident Lucia Selwyn was going to _die?_ Lies! All lies! Audrey never believed in prophecies or predictions, she believed in foraging one's own path through life. Nothing was predetermined. Audrey began to run as the woman began to laugh and disappear into the fog that she had appeared in.

Audrey never stopped running until she reached the Sneezing Snitch and ran inside, her sides cramping painfully. She bent over breathing heavily as she clutched her sides.

_'Liar, liar… There is no traitor… Nobody's going to betray me… Lucia is not going to die! Not if I can help it!'_

"Hey Aud, you want a drink?" Scully asked as he leaned over the counter for a better look. Ignoring his father's portrait shouting about his wine collection dwindling to nothing.

"Bah, don't give 'er not'ing. Audrey Causey can't 'old 'er liquor, we all know t'at." Laughter echoed through the pub as George Weasley spun on his barstool and promptly fell off. The men sitting next to him high fived over his semi-conscious body before going back to what Audrey believed to be a drinking contest.

"Well Georgie, at this point I think that Audrey can hold her booze better then you," Septimus said as he nudged George with his cane. "Bloody hell, I think he's asleep." Septimus tapped the side of George's face that wasn't getting acquainted with the floor. "Yes, he's asleep." He turned towards the door, moving his cane away from the forming puddle of drool disgustedly.

Audrey moved away from the door as another figure came into the pub. Somehow Audrey had found herself squished behind the opened door as the figure hurried inside.

"Hey, you're that bureaucrat who lectured me on proper codes last night." Scully glared at the tall redheaded man who was glancing around the pub worriedly. "You're not welcome here if you're gonna lecture me again."

"I am not here to lecture you about noise regulations and new curfew restrictions," Audrey chuckled at that. Percy's voice lost some of its haughty demeanor, "I'm looking for-"

Scully pointed at the sleeping form on the floor.

"Oh, yes, thank you." Percy knelt down next to the sleeping form and shook his shoulder gently. "George?" There was a loud snore from the body on the floor. "Come on, it's time to go home." He shook George's shoulder harder. "Wake up."

This was a scene the residents and frequent pub patrons were familiar with, but still felt the need to watch from the corner of their eyes. Curiosity and pity were the most common factors. George was a very blunt, unbalanced, mean, and occasionally violent drunk. Most of it aimed at the brother who came to drag him from the pubs. There was a lot of sympathy for the poor man, the barkeeps would point him in the right direction and not give him much of a problem. Scully would try and get Percy to see if he could pitch the idea of a legal day to throw rotten fruit at government officials on Thursday and proceed to get him to talk about politics.

Septimus tapped on Audrey's leg with his cane to get her attention. "I can't watch this. Besides, I think Tom's about to close up." Audrey nodded as she stepped out from behind the door. She ducked under Septimus' arm and walked out the door.

They walked in silence, the sounds of the Sneezing Snitch disappearing behind them. Audrey hunched over as the wind started to blow. They were halfway to the Leaky Cauldron when Septimus broke the silence.

"You're being awfully quiet. What's on your mind?"

Audrey shrugged, "It's all of this I guess," she motioned to the destroyed and ruined buildings nearby. "We're not going to recover from this in a hurry. It's going to take a really long time. And that makes me sad."

"As it should," he put a hand on Audrey's shoulder as they stopped for a moment. "Do you really have to make sure I don't kill myself on the way back to the Leaky, I don't like any of you lot walking after dark alone."

Audrey scowled, "Would I be here if I couldn't take care of myself?"

"No, you'd be six feet under." Audrey chuckled at that. "I have complete trust that you and everyone else can take care of themselves just fine. I just want to make sure none of you do anything to stupid. Let me tell you, that keeps me on my toes." Septimus sighed as they started walking again. "Troublemakers, all of you. Don't know why I bother."

"Hey, we don't need to be watched and babysat! Lucia and I are adults remember?"

"Yes, I do know that. But you and Lucia spent your first year out of school being chased by the Ministry. Granted that I got both of you involved, but you were going to be a target anyway. Lucia chose that time to break it off with her parents and needed to disappear, that was a bonus for me, seeing as I had no idea that I had a niece who wanted to follow in my footsteps. Banishment from a pureblood family means you have no idea how those nieces and nephews turn out, let alone who they are as people." Septimus smiled, "I still can't believe Iacomus is the father, he's an idiot."

"You're Lucia's uncle, so are you related to her mother or her father? I mean, you don't share a last name with either of her parents."

Septimus took a drink from the flask on his hip as they arrived at the front door of the Leaky Cauldron and opened the door. "Alright, good night Audrey." He walked inside.

"Hey, you never answered me."

Twenty minutes later Audrey had managed to escape the polka fans and make it up to her room at the end of the hall. She opened the door quietly and heard Lucia snoring. Audrey walked in and closed the door silently behind her, tiptoeing past Lucia's bed and towards her own next to the window. Two minutes later she was in her nightgown, wand lit, and looking for a book she had left on the windowsill that morning.

Oo0Oo0

_The swing creaked as it rocked back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth… Audrey sat down on it and pushed it back as if she meant to swing like she did when she was a child. Everything that she could see in the distance was a soft grey color until something small appeared in front of her. _

_"Why did he leave?" The figure spoke with the voice of a much younger Audrey, "Doesn't he love me? What did I do wrong?"_

_The little Audrey was clutching a teddy bear to her chest and looking at her older self sadly. Her long mousy brown hair was hanging in her eyes and her bright yellow sundress hung around her knees. Audrey recognized the dress from a picture she grandparents had taken over a decade ago. _

_"I'm sorry daddy; I promise I'll be good!"_

_All of the color from the little Audrey vanished leaving her to disappear into the rising mist._

_"I'll be a good girl, really!"_

_And Audrey was left alone again. Digging her feet into the earth to push herself back to take off into the misty air. When something began to form in front of her again, Audrey skidded to a halt. _

_The mist began to morph into something familiar. It was a grayish white figure that resembled a tall man. It was very familiar. The only coloration in the mist-man was the pale grey-blue eyes. The same ones that Audrey possessed. It looked at her angrily before turning his back to her and beginning to disappear slowly._

_"Don't leave dad!"_

"Ye-ouch!"

"Audrey! Stop shouting, I need my beauty sleep!"

The book that Lucia had thrown at her was laying in Audrey's lap, "Don't throw your erotic novels at me then!"

"It's a novella actually. And you were shouting before I threw the book at you."

There was a banging sound coming from Cappie's room next door. And a muffled shout echoed through the wall. _"Be quiet! Or I'll get Mrs. Townsend!"_

John's wife Ellie was known for having a nasty temper. She never appreciated being woken up unless it was by her infant son, and even then John said she was mildly grumpy. Lucia and Audrey had been on the receiving end of Ellie's temper before and they made the effort to never be there again. They exchanged a look of horror and promptly went back to sleep.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_ This chapter just kept getting put off in the storyline for some reason or another. I've finally got a place where it makes sense.

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	9. Respite

**Chapter Nine: Respite **

_June 20__th__ 1998_

Audrey's eyes were heavy, longing to close to try to go back to sleep. Sleep had never really come, disturbed by dreams and nightmares that melded together in a confusing mess of thoughts and memories. The result was something far from reality.

Standing in the Atrium, destroyed. The only other person there was someone unknown and familiar…

The man in the golden mask.

The man reached up to remove his mask, his faced switched from Septimus' to Lucia's, John's, Ellie's, Cappie's, Russell's in turn. Audrey's eyes moved from the man in front of her to find fog forming around her, solid figures stepped out of the fog. Audrey sucked in a breath.

Her family had no faces.

Oo0Oo0

Ellie Townsend was a woman who had stayed in DiagonAlley for most of the war, pregnant, witha husband on the run with some of her dearest friends. Cappie used to steal the day old bread she sold for half price on the counter. When she finally caught him at it, she blamed her surging hormones and lack of business for her just giving him the bread. Ellie was being watched, but when she left she gave Cappiea large bag with a letter explaining the situation and some people who may be willing to feed the children. Cappie always had a lot of affection for Ellie and had spent the days that Audrey, John, and Lucia were working, and Septimuswas doing Merlin knew what; he hung around with Ellie and her infant son John Junior. Though, after the hustling incident Audrey may have asked Ellie to watch him. He didn't care. Ellie was nice.

Like every other morning in the Leaky Cauldron Cappie was watching Tom wash his ale glasses. There was a rhythm to it that was mesmerizing, pick up, rinse, wash, and dry, repeat. Cappie liked it, it was simple and to the point. Unlike his life.

Cappie Garland had not survived the final months of the war by being stupid. He had done that by learning valuable skills in observation. The boy already had good eyesight, and fantastic aim, but he never really noticed what was going on around him until this last year. The way Fowler's disposition was not limited to his name, the way that Russell always seemed to time his delivery of sweets exactly when Audrey was downstairs reading the paper, or how Septimus was bringing in a strange assortment of items up to his room every evening.

Though there was a new sight today. Cappie looked over out of the corner of his eye wearily. He didn't like strangers to much. And this man was sitting at the other end of the bar, which was not to faraway. He scooted to the far edge of his seat uncomfortably as the man placed his order with Tom and sat there quietly with the _Prophet _open before him.

"Good morning Cappie," Audrey said as she took the seat next to him. Cappie relaxed slightly, Audrey made him feel safe. She was very kind, and soft-spoken most of the time, but there was something steely inside. She reminded him of his mum in that respect. Cappie just smiled.

The man at the other end of the counter turned towards them when Audrey spoke. "Excuse me, ma'am," Cappiereached for the slingshot in his pocket. He liked to hold it, it made him feel safer. "Are you the woman who my grandmother told a fortune for about a month ago? She was in Knockturn that evening?"

Audrey blinked and looked at the man closely. Cappie thought he was a pretty average looking bloke; his nose was a bit crooked though. "Oh, you're that woman's grandson. The one who came looking for her."

Smiling grimly the man replied, "You remember, I apologize for her, I mentioned before she only started predicting deaths recently. If what she said upset you-"

"Oh, no it didn't upset me. My friends thought it was kind of funny really." Audrey's manner seemed a bit off, it sounded too forced. There was a slight nervousness in her manner. "How is she anyway?"

The man looked at the counter and took a deep breath. "My grandmother died a week ago yesterday from injuries she received during the riot."

Audrey's eyes began to resemble tea saucers. "I-I'm sorry to hear that."

"I am to," the man said softly.

Audrey stood quickly, "I need to go to work, take care of yourself. Cappie, stay out of trouble."

Oo0Oo0

"Aud, stop following me. And for the love of Merlin, stop staring like that. You're making me feel like a criminal." Lucia was standing in front of the mirror in the ladies toilet brushing her hair preparing to put it in an elaborate up-do. She was pulling stray strands out of the collar of her blue work uniform and started to braid it tightly.

"I'm sorry," Audrey said as she leaned against the tiled wall. She never understood why the colors of the women's restrooms were pink. Incredibly stereotypical and a complete eyesore in Audrey's opinion.

Lucia looked at Audrey's reflection in the mirror, "Alright, what's wrong?" Audrey looked at Lucia's refection in the mirror as she continued fixing her hair. "I was on the run with you for almost a year, and shared a dorm with you for seven; I can read you like one of my novels." Audrey shuddered, remembering Lucia's preferred leisure reading materials. "Now start talking."

"You know that lady who you, Russell and I met who our regular source told us about? Well, I met her last night and-"

"Merlin Aud, I thought you didn't believe in all that rubbish? Look, the lady's a nut job. That last visit involved her predicting bothof our deaths and a common sense warning for Russell. I just don't think death is just around the corner for anyone we know." Lucia had finished putting her hair up in some form that Audrey could not name. Maybe Lucia had created it herself. "I don't want to hear what she said, I'm happier not knowing what will happen to me until it happens, if I were you I would put it out of your mind too." She paused, "You'll be all the happier for it."

'_But Lucia, this wasn't natural. I think the woman was already dead when I saw her. An unnatural meeting.' _

When they were in school, Lucia occasionally had accurate gut feelings about who would win Quidditch matches and was only wrong once, her other gut feeling were pretty accurate to, but gambling on the matches in school were the incidences that came to mind most readily. The one time Lucia was wrong, she had a nasty head cold. Lucia dismissed these incidents as dumb luck and an extensive study of team tactics.

"Anyway, Aud, let's go! We are watching the front desk this morning and switching positions with another pair later." Lucia rushed for the door with Audrey in pursuit.

"Who are we switching with?"

Lucia slowed down and started walking backwards through the empty corridor. "I really have no clue, Dawson will tell us later. But one of the regular's we'll be subbing for is taking a short leave because his wife is, to quote Dawson, 'Fit to pop'. Poor thing."

Audrey shook her head and chuckled, "Yeah, Ellie says it's a little awkward later on when you can't see your own feet."

"John's trying to talk her around for a sibling for Junior."

"Really?"

"John feels a bit bad that he missed the whole experience apparently."

"When did you find out about that?" Audrey asked as she followed Lucia into the lift.

Lucia giggled, "From John. I found him in the hall last night. Ellie can hold a grudge."

"It's not his fault, John was about to get busted for being a Muggle-born in the Ministry's employment. John still wants to punch Thicknesse in the face, and I'll be glad to hold him down while he does."

"You barbarian," Lucia laughed as the grates opened depositing them in the Atrium. They still had forty minute before people began pouring in. Lucia walked quickly to the desk, she had left a book there when they went upstairs and had wanted to finish it before things got busy. Audrey had brought her own source of reading material and the book was rapidly approaching the climax. Both propped their feet on the desk and leaned back in their chairs and began to read.

It was quiet; the only sound was the water from the fountain and the sudden quickening of loud _whoosh_ sounds from the fireplaces. The rush would come through within the next fifteen minutes. The sound of high heels clicking on the floor walking towards the desk caught Audrey's attention. She heard Lucia's barely audible curse and her chair legs hitting the floor with a loud thud.

The woman was tall and slim with her blondehair swept back into a tight bun. Her high cheekbones and bright green eyes were looking at the pair with wide eyes for a brief moment before morphing into a look of disgust. Audrey glanced from Lucia to the woman who were eyeing each other wearily. The woman looked like an older version of Lucia. The realization hit Audrey like a train; the woman was Lucia's mother.

"I need to speak with an associate of my husband's upstairs," Clarita Selwyn said stoically as she dug her wand out of the sleeve of her long, flowing silk robes. Her robes were high quality, delicate, and the prettiest thing Audrey had ever seen. There were little white flowers on the hems of her sleeves of her violet robes. That was a detail that caught Audrey's attention.

Audrey reached up and took the wand from Clarita Selwyn, whose nose wrinkled like she smelled something nasty under her nose. She noticed Lucia beginning to shake in barely suppressed rage. Then Audrey placed the wand on the scale and a few moments later returning the wand and keeping the receipt on the desk. "Here you go, Ma'am. Have a nice day."

Clarita Selwyn gave a "humph" in response before walking off to the lift. Lucia clenched her fists and grinded her teeth, she looked deranged. She took a couple of deep breaths before giving Audrey an apologetic look and opening to the page where she had left off in her book, her breathing shallow and uneven. Lucia stood up suddenly, snapping her book closed. "I'm going to go talk to Dawson. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Audrey knew her friend was lying; she was not going to talk to Dawson. She was going for a walk to blow off steam before her temper got the best of her.

Oo0Oo0

A few hours later Audrey and Lucia found themselves stuffed in the doorframeof the cafeteria with a sea of employees in front of and behind them leaving Audrey feeling slightly claustrophobic. The mob moved forward pulling them into out into the corridor. Audrey somehow ended up caught in a group of Magical Maintenance workers who were exchanging dirty jokes about pipes and wenches as the mob force moved towards the lift and began to cram themselves inside.

Audrey found her face against the wall of the lift. She turned and was now straining to reach the button to get to the top floor. Lucia was nowhere inside of this lift; they must have gotten separated from each other in the madness. A tall wizard was blocking her view of the people in front of her. Oh well, maybe it was better if no one noticed her at all.

The lift stopped at each floor with a loud, echoing groan at each and every floor. The groaning made her uncomfortable, like the lift was going to fall off the rope at any time. Audrey closed her eyes and shook her head, thinking like that was not a good thing. Especially not in a creaky lift.

Finally, the grates opened at the top floor with Audrey and a few members of the support staff rushing out of the stuffy lift. The corridor was well lit with white walls and a few stray paintings on the walls. One of a witch in white robes halfway through with transfiguring a desk into a lion. Audrey stared at it for a moment, she thought it was pretty.

"Audrey, you coming?" Audrey spun around as Lucia grabbed her by the arm and spun her around as she dragged Audrey behind her.

"Why are you in such a hurry, it's just sitting in front of a door."

"And playing cards, Aud! I like playing cards."

"You just want revenge for the game I won the other night." Lucia had found that defeat particularly embarrassing.

"Yes I do." Lucia deposited Audrey into chair at a desk outside the door of the Minister's office and summoned another chair to the other side of the desk, then drawing a deck of cards out of her sleeve and beginning to shuffle. "Walker says this is a dull post anyway. Just a bunch of memos and a few diplomats coming in and out. Now, the name of the game is Exploding Snap, nothing dirty, dangerous, or stupid."

"Deal."

Ten minutes later after Lucia had lost her first game of cards and Audrey was dealing their second hand the three members of the immediate support staff had finally made it through the sea of people to their shared working space on the top floor. There was a moment's pause before a voice spoke up, sounding confused, annoyed, and disgusted. "What are you _doing?"_

Lucia looked up from the cards she had fanned in front of her face. "We are playing an illicit card game, what's it look like we're doing?"

Audrey turned around and smiled, "It's not too late to deal you in."

"Pass," Percy gave them both a rather nasty glare and strolled inside.

Oo0Oo0

The Minister had sent his support staff home early. Audrey had no idea why, she was just a guard, nobody told her anything unless they needed someone to catch a mouse that had ran under a desk. Information flowed downhill and changed by each source until the information was vastly different from the original source. But this made Audrey smile; she could go back to the Leaky and help Septimus withhis latest interpretation of the law for the suing to the government. Though he had said it was his personal project, he may put her to work on the regular studies. Either way, it would be far more interesting than the usual politics she had been involved with recently.

After dismissal, the other two members of the support staff ran out at first opportunity, Lucia beat Audrey to the first lift down and smiled and waved as it began to descend. Audrey rolled her eyes as she wrapped the cards in a rubber band, Lucia always left the mess. She looked down at the desk on last time, to make sure she had left nothing behind and waiting for the lift to come back up to the top floor.

The grates opened wide and Audrey stepped inside, thinking seriously for a few minutes about clocking out early to get some sleep before being drawn out of her thoughts by someone sticking a briefcase into the closing door. The grates opened again and the Junior Assistant walked in. Audrey could expect this to be a quiet ride down to the main level, until there was a loud screeching sound from the lift and a jerk that nearly brought them both to the floor.

_"See that man at the bar there, the one with a walking stick? That's the guy you should talk with about a job. His last apprentice left last week so he could probably use the help."_

_Audrey looked over at the man curiously, he was obviously intoxicated and was rocking back and forthon the bar stool as the man next to him laughed. The young man behind the counter shook his head and rolled his eyes with a good-natured smile. The Sneezing Snitch had just opened for the evening and the regulars were just starting to pour in, some already intoxicated. _

_"What does he do?"_

_The man sitting across from Audrey shrugged, "He runs a bookshop right here in the Alley. There is a rumor of illegal dealings. Though, I can't get anything concrete."_

_Audrey looked at the old man wearily, "It's a job at least. Should I ask now or go to the shop tomorrow?"_

_"Go tomorrow, and if he says no keep persisting but leave my name out of it."_

_"Thank you Mr. Bennett. _

_"Call me Russell."_

The lift stalled between floors.

Audrey removed her hands from her ears and looked around nervously. Just her luck to be stuck in a lift and she thought she was going to have a nice quiet evening. Yeah right.

Percy looked around the lift, moving his briefcase against the wall. He looked a bit pale as Audrey stated that she thought they had broken down as she adjusted herself to lean against the wall of the lift and began to shuffle the cards to pass the time. She was not a very good shuffler and usually left that job up to her more card shark-like friends. "You okay?"

"Yes, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Audrey replied as her cards began to snap and give off small explosions in her hand. She yelped as she tossed the cards away as they continued to crackle. "Darn it." She crawled over to pick them up. Audrey placed them back in the rubber band and sat back against the wall and they both sat there in silence. Audrey felt awkward. It wasn't like being stuck anywhere with her friends, they would make jokes about why Death Eaters _really_ wore masks among other things. She thought this person was almost too quiet.

Septimussaid once that quiet people would usually be passed over and ignored but would usually have the best information. Those were the people Audrey tried to talk with if she was looking for information, quiet people, gossips, and barkeeps. Audrey was one of those quiet observers unless she was asking questions, the situation quickly dissolved in an amount of incomprehensible awkwardness.

"Hullo, everything alright in there?" The voice was different from the perky female voice that Audrey associated with the lifts. It was obviously male and sounded familiar, though distorted over the intercom. "Who's in there?"

Percy looked up, "Felix? Is that you?"

"Weatherby?"

Percy scowled. Audrey giggled.

"You have bad luck, mate. First the bulldog incident, the knife thrower, the book that tried to rip your nose off, the plant in the D of M, now this, what next?"

"Funny how none of that would have happened if I had never met you."

"Hey, don't blame me for any of that."

He looked rather exasperated by this point. "All of that stuff that happened to me seemed to occur after you said something in Gaelic."

Audrey looked up with interest; her Irish grandmother had taught her how to speak Gaelic from the cradle. She had never met anyone else who could speak it before.

"All I did was wish you the best of luck." Felix sounded confused, "How would that have anything to do with it? It's a coincidence."

Audrey decided to alert Felix to her presence, maybe he would tell her about those incidents. The knife thrower incident sounded rather interesting. "How are you doing Felix?"

"Hullo Audrey, I'm fine, how are you? Anyone else in there we need to know about?"

Audrey shook her head before realizing that she was responding to a disembodied voice, "Just us. We're both fine."

"Just the two of you," Audrey heard a slight waver of laughter in his voice. "That's funny. Anyway, Magical Maintenance and I are working on the charm work on this end. Sit tight, I'll check in with you both in a few minutes." The intercom clicked and they were alone again.

Audrey started shuffling her cards again while Percy opened his briefcase to bring out his crossword and a quill. "I thought you finished that already?"

"I'm down to my last word; I need an eleven letter word for concise, starts with an _e, _a _p, _and ends with a _c._"

"Um, epigrammatic. It was the _Prophet's_ word of the day yesterday."

"Thank you." Percy put the paper back in his briefcase and leaned against the wall. Audrey could agree it was going to be a long wait.

She rested the back of her head against the wall, Audrey was tired, her eyes were heavy, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and closed her eyes.

Oo0Oo0

The grates opened witha groan. Felix was standing there as they opened with a large smile. "That didn't take as long as I thought. You two alright or-" He stopped short and started snickering. "Damn, all the black mail I'll need for the next six months. Ratchet, could you find me a camera." The Maintenance elf disapparated as Felix continued to snicker. The two of them had dozed off between his call and the finished repair on the lift forty minutes later. Audrey's head had came to rest on Percy's shoulder while he snored loudly. Upon Ratchet's return he began to snap pictures.

* * *

_**Author's note: **__This was an unplanned chapter, a bit of a respite from everything. __I'll be back to my regularly scheduled (See planned) chapters for my next update. Enjoy your small dose of shipping. _

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	10. Bowels, Books, and Booze

_**Chapter Ten: Bowels, Books, and Booze**_

_June 21__st__ 1998_

"Any luck?" The woman asked as she peered over her associate's shoulder. The desk where he was had been trying to open the book for the past weeks was covered in papers written in a shorthand for a complicated spell that they believed could help them open the book, without Lowell's papers on how to do so. It was not finished yet, but it would be soon with any luck.

The man in the golden mask looked back over his shoulder at the woman. "I would be farther along if your handwriting wasn't so sloppy."

The woman scowled, "Watch it. I am only letting you play with it just in case I missed something." The book began to shake violently, the man jumped out of the chair in terror. "Like that."

"That's unnatural… Even the books in the restricted section never did that unless they were opened." He leaned over the book nervously

The woman smirked, "I told you before it is an unnatural book. There's something bound within, I believe, something powerful. And if there is I intend to use it."

"You're a scary woman."

"So they tell me." She sat down in a chair by the window calmly placing her hands in her lap. "Oh, and watch your hand. The book is leaking its dark magic."

The masked man leapt back as the magic stung his hand. "I hope you know what you're dealing with."

"I have a vague idea. I'll tell you sometime." The woman smiled.

Easing his way back into the chair, the man in the mask leaned forward elbows on his knees. "Why is this book so important? How is it connected to everything else you are looking for?"

The woman straightened her robes, the man could not help but notice they were made of a fine material and the area from below her knees and elbows was all black lace. He only knew her name, everything else was a mystery. "Just help me find what I need and the power you desire is yours."

Oo0Oo0

The posting sign was upside-down again. This meant that somebody got distracted, or Walker had another date with the identical twins and wanted to let the rest of the people know about it, though who would find it interesting Audrey would never understand, maybe he was bragging. As she reached up to set the sign upright, Audrey noticed next to her name was a note that said, _See Dawson._ Audrey blinked; she could not remember doing anything incredibly stupid at work recently. Maybe she was not doing her job up to the Ministry's standard? What if she was being fired? Was this about the illicit card game on the Minister's floor? Oh Merlin, what if this was about the plant incident, she knew she should have obliviated that glorified secretary!

There were some teasing jokes about what war hero she tackled this week and hearty slaps on the back as she squeezed her way through the crowd that had gathered for their assignments. She apologized as she stepped on someone's foot and staggered out of the crowd. Audrey walked down the hall to the large oak door that led to Dawson's office. It seemed larger and scarier than usual. Audrey knocked softly on the door and got no response, she knocked louder and a booming voice answered back. "Come in!"

She opened the door and peered through the widening crack nervously. "You wanted to see me sir?"

Dawson spun his chair away from the window which seemed to be displaying a hurricane as today's weather. "Yes, I did." He motioned for Audrey to take a seat on the other side of his desk where he placed a wooden stool. It was a formality to try and make his office look more inviting. Audrey had heard he was not good at Transfiguration at wooden stools were the only furniture he could create with some skill. She sat down and found her eyes level with the edge of his desk. This was awkward. Dawson leaned over the desk, "You know if you would rather stand?"

"Oh, no, this is fine." She always figured that if she was going to be fired she would rather be sitting anyway, "What did you want to talk to me about sir?"

Audrey had a good enough view of the top of Dawson's desk to see him put his elbows on the desk and drum his fingers together in thought. "Well, let's see there is something I need to ask you about."

"I didn't mean to get that bloke attacked by a Bertha, honest! She just came out of nowhere and dragged him off! He's fine I swear, he only lost a shoe!" Dawson's face went blank; he was blinking slowly as if trying to comprehend what Audrey was saying.

"What are you talking about?"

'_I guess that's not why I'm here. He doesn't know, okay then.' _Audrey reflected on what she had said in a horrified panic, '_That sounded a bit wrong…'_

"I guess it was a really strange dream. Never mind…"

Dawson coughed, "Well, I wanted to know if you would be interested in going with Magical Maintenance into the bowels of the Ministry. Now before you say anything, we are not entirely sure if there's anything down there we should be concerned about and with your previous job history you seem like a good candidate to go with them and make sure they don't find anything too nasty. Experimental Charms has had things escape down there before and some strange things from the D of M also. With everything going on during the war no expeditions were sent down to check and see if everything was in working order. Some teams of Enforcers and a couple of rookie Aurors just cleared it for repairs, but Maintenance staff still doesn't feel to secure about going down without somebody to keep watch while they take care of what needs to be taken care of. I'll understand if you say no, but this is a special request."

Audrey closed her eyes for a moment, "Sure. Where do I need to go?"

Dawson smiled, "Good, look for a maintenance worker called Perrault. He and his team will be waiting by the lift to the library. It's the most direct route to the bowels. Though there are others spread throughout the Ministry."

Audrey raised an eyebrow as she rose to her feet. "I'm sorry, _Perrault?_"

"World's worst misfortune, he's French."

"Oh," Audrey smiled, thanked Dawson and walked out through crowd of people who were trying to eavesdrop at the door. She walked out of the security section and down towards the lifts trying not to get swept away with the crowd. Audrey was not very successful in this regard; she somehow managed to stumble into an older man who was halfway into the lift. Apologizing quickly to the balding redheaded man Audrey moved to the other end of the lift hiding behind a rather large woman with hair resembling a beehive. Audrey looked up at the woman's hair curiously, it was not even attractive. She shrugged and walked out of the lift quickly expecting the sudden jerk that brought her to the floor during her last visit. The counter seemed a logical place to start if she wanted to know where maintenance was meeting.

Behind the counter was the old woman who Audrey was willing to wager her paycheck was the Master Librarian. She seemed more imposing when Audrey was not hiding behind a bookshelf. Her hair was a bright silver color and pulled back in a loose bun. She looked very interested in the book she was reading. Audrey stepped back behind the bookshelf to take a deep breath, talking to strangers in an unfamiliar setting was enough to make her run and hide somewhere. Lucia was the bold one. As Audrey stepped back out the man she had stumbled into was talking with the librarian. She stepped back for a moment, and then walked forward stepping behind the man.

"Good morning, Arthur, how are you? Anything I can help you with today?"

"I'm fine Marion, I'm wondering if you got that book about escapators?"

'_Esca- who now?'_

The woman looked confused for a moment, "Oh, you mean this one?" She gave him the book she was reading. "Sorry, there is some pretty interesting stuff in there."

"Thank you very much." He flipped through the book eagerly.

The woman stood and peered around the man, "Anything I can help you with, dear?" Audrey was sorely tempted to run far away into the shelves and never be seen again. But she stood firm and answered the question pretending that Septimus would show up and start on a self-esteem lecture. His last lecture was about paranoia, incredibly hypocritical one at that. He had apparently rigged his room to the point that one of the maids wound up pinned against the door by an impressive array of spells. And he had gotten on to her about sleeping with a three inch sheathed knife under her pillow. Just in case.

"I'm wondering where I can find Perrault? I was told I could find him and his maintenance team down here."

The master librarian appeared to smile and wince in one motion. "They are in the back of the Defense Against the Dark Arts section. Go through there, it's down this way," she pointed to the Astronomy section, "Through Deadly Botany to the right, and make a left at the end of the aisle. You can't miss them."

"Thank you ma'am," Audrey dashed off not wanting to keep the people she was going to be working with waiting.

"And don't run in my library!" Audrey slowed to a brisk walk. "Slow down!" She brought herself to a normal walking pace. Audrey was quite proud of herself; she had managed to show a decent amount of restraint as she walked through the defense section. She only stopped to read the covers of seven books.

There was a group of three people at the end of the section. All three were men talking nervously as they looked through some books on the table; they all seemed to be in their mid-thirties to late forties. And maybe a bit jumpy. Damn her luck. No wonder they wanted somebody to keep watch, to creped out to do their own jobs. She could be off looking for the sympathizer, catching potential dark wizards who tried to break into the Ministry; instead she was going to be a watch dog. Audrey looked up at the high ceiling hoping that some great force would crash upon her. Jumpy people, from her experience, were a complete menace. They were a little more likely to scream when something crazy happened, that almost got her killed on more than one occasion during the war.

The oldest looking man looked up from the book looking straight at Audrey. She took a step back nervously. "Are you the guard who's going to escort us down to the bowels?"

Audrey pretended for a moment that she was helping out in the shop, which was where she was at her most confident. She smiled and gave a bright reply of, "Yes sir!"

Another man grinned, "He doesn't look like he could fight his way out of a paper sack, Perrault."

"A wet paper sack, Maddox. Doesn't even look old enough to shave."

The third man just sat there quietly with an obnoxious looking smirk.

Audrey blinked; they thought she was a male. Unbelievable. She looked down for a moment, through not completely without founding. Her uniform was one that she picked up used out of the security uniform closet when she first took the job. Of the three she had, one was a perfect fit. The second was a bit baggier, and a bit too long. And then there was this one, to wide. Even with a belt it still bore some resemblance to a tent. But the length was good, and she had been meaning to take it to Ellie to see if she could take it in any, but Ellie had been so busy with the baby and the baking and everything that Audrey hardly wanted to bother her about it. Audrey had tried to mend her clothes before but it would hardly be of Ministry security uniform standard, and her repair jobs involved multicolored patches of some sort.

Perrault looked, squinted more like, past Audrey as if looking for someone else to magically appear behind her. Someone taller with a little more muscle, Audrey suspected. "You're all Dawson gave us?"

Audrey bobbed her head up and down quickly.

"I need you to speak boy, I can hardly see you."

"Yes sir!"

A rush of air passed Perrault's lips. "Alright then, everybody up and follow me." The other two men stood and followed Perrault like they had done this a thousand times before. Audrey walked quickly after them, her hand resting on the holster around her leg.

Perrault seemed to know the route far better than his companions. Audrey was willing to guess he had been doing this job for years and could quite possibly find his way to the bowels in his sleep. After a short stroll through the shelves that left Audrey slightly dizzy they stood in front of a small door. Perrault bent down and held his wand against the keyhole and mumbled a spell that Audrey could not make out. The door swung open and they followed Perrault into a small lift, and began their descent.

"How deep are we going, Forester?" Perrault asked as Maddox looked up at the ceiling exhaustedly. Perrault must ask this question a lot.

The quiet man gave the appropriate response. "Nobody knows for sure," he looked at Audrey, "there is no recorded record of how far below the Department of Mysteries the bowels is located. But there are entrances all over the Ministry itself. How they managed that, we aren't sure. There are different levels, though everything we fix regularly is on the floor we are visiting now." Audrey wondered if that little speech was for her benefit.

Perrault nodded as the lift opened and they stepped out into the dark room. It was pitch black. Audrey could not even see the hand she had waved experimentally in front of her face. They all lit their wands and began the long walk through the main level.

The shadows seemed to leap and dance upon the walls. Audrey had staggered back into Forrester and walked into Maddox's back three times while Perrault had stopped to check on something or pointed his wand at one of the resident rats and tried to shoot them, believing them escaped experiments. They finally stopped in a large empty area which was covered in puddles of water ranging from large too small. Audrey kneeled down next to one for a better look. A drop of water fell into it causing ripples. Holding her wand aloft, Audrey notice the source was a low hanging pipe above her. Perrault looked up and told them that they knew the drill. The three of them stood firm and began muttering their enchantments for the different repair jobs on the pipes and other things that Audrey had not seen yet. It lit the room in multicolored lights, which caused Audrey to stare openmouthed in awe.

Her attention was removed from the display by the sounds of quacking. Loud quacking that seemed to be coming from all over the room. Audrey strengthened her light with a thought _'Lumos Maxima!'_ and sent small balls of right light into the places where the sound was coming from. Audrey reeled backwards and almost fell into a puddle. These were not normal ducks. They were colored in bright colors that reminded Audrey of poisonous frogs found in some parts of the world. The bright colors were a warning to other species that they were not to be trifled with. Audrey's eyes grew larger as she counted at least fifteen bright, multicolored ducks.

"Damn."

She tightened her grip in her wand and pointed it at the nearest duck feeling a bit bad about killing a member of the animal kingdom. A rather mutated member of the animal kingdom, but still… "Perrault, I think you might want to make an evacuation order."

Perrault looked up from his spell squinting in the direction of the nearest duck. "What is it?"

Maddox and Forester looked up and let their spells fizzle out quietly. "I thought they got everything out of here." Maddox said quietly as he pointed his wand at a duck that was coming a little too close to the group. Forester had his wand pointed at the direction they came from fully prepared to blast their way out of there.

_'Reducto!' _Audrey thought loudly as the first duck flew forward. It disappeared in a flash of bright feathers. The remainder of the ducks disappeared into the dark.

"That's it. We're heading up everybody. I'm afraid we're not paid to deal with large flocks of poisonous ducks." Perrault said as he looked closely at a green feather lying at his feet.

Oo0Oo0

The lift ride to the second floor to tell the Head Auror his troops had missed a few ducks was rather uneventful. They just stood there in silence as they rode the lift to the second floor, when they had first gotten in; the lift seemed to clear out mysteriously at the next floor. Maddox pointed out that those who had just left were diplomats and high-ranking officials who did not want to be seen with such lowly workers as themselves. Maintenance was usually not seen on these floors in the middle of a work day.

As the lift rose it stopped on a floor to pick up another passenger. Audrey took her eyes off the toes of her boots to find a familier face surveying the lift. "Hello, Audrey."

Perrault looked up as if somebody set fire to his robes. Forester and Maddox started laughing while Perrault squinted at Audrey. Then his eyes widened like saucers. "Wait, you're a girl?" Forester and Maddox laughed harder, while Percy looked from Perrault, Forester and Maddox, and then Audrey. He looked really confused by Audrey's reasoning. "I'm sorry, I couldn't tell." He looked at Forester and Maddox. "How long did you two know?"

"She ran into me a couple of time while we were in the bowels," Maddox said as he caught his breath.

"I knew from the start, I just wanted to see how long it would take you two to notice. Perhaps you and Maddox need to take advantage of your insurance and get your eyes checked again."

The maintenace workers walked out making jokes about Perrault's bad eyesight and eventual retirement.

Oo0Oo0

"Scully, 'ave you ev'r considered marriage?"

"You're not my type, Septimus."

Septimus laughed, holding his head in his hands. "Not w'at I meant." Septimus leaned over the counter and looked at Scully seriously. As he opened his mouth again Scully turned his attention to Celeste Cadwallader, who appeared to have become a semi-permanent fixture in the Sneezing Snitch lately. He changed his train of thought as quickly as a drunken man could manage, "Ya're still tryin' to get into Cadwallader's knickers?"

"What?" Celeste said flatly as she looked at Scully who was looking, at that moment, like a man deeply considering a murder. "I think I have some paperwork to finish at the Leaky Cauldron, I'll talk to you later."

"Well, now, let's talk for a minute." Septimus took another drink while Scully just glared at him. "If I die, Cau'ey won't have anyone around to keep her out of trouble. I can't leave her alone like t'at. Would you consider marrying her? Just so I can die peacefully?" Out of the corner of his eye, Septimus saw that tall, lanky red haired man looking at them both appearing rather confused. That Ministry dog did not sit well with Septimus for some reason. "I wasn't talking to ya, ya bloody bureaucrat. It'll be a cold day in 'ell before I see my apprentice married to some damned bureaucrat."

"Keep this up Septimus and you won't get either of those wishes." Scully ducked under the bar as a wine bottle flew over his head. He cautiously stood back up as Septimus chuckled at Scully's expense. The door opened and in walked Audrey, looking around cautiously at the patrons who were as usual growing drunker with each order. Scully looked relieved and waved Audrey over, "He tried to marry you off again. To me this time, don't look so horrified, I'm not a bad bloke."

"I know you're not, I'm sorry if he was bothering you."

Scully snickered, "He wasn't bothering anybody with that proposition." A couple of wizards at the end of the bar waved cheekily. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She dragged Septimus out with her cheeks a bright shade of red. "'ave I ev'r told you w'at a good girl you are, 'elpin' an old warlock like me 'ome ev'ry evenin'." Septimus smiled drunkenly as he threw an arm over Audrey's shoulders. This was one of his worse evenings; he was starting to babble and had tried to marry Audrey off again. The occasions of this amount of drunkenness were, from what Audrey knew, rare. Before Audrey began working for him he managed to get himself home alright. Except for a few occasions which nobody seemed to be willing to talk about for some reason or another. "Ya know summat? Ya remind me of my Kitty."

"I never pictured you as a cat person."

"Naw, I dun like cats much, and don't be a 'mart arse." His smile disappeared slowly, as he tightened his hold on Audrey's shoulders. "Ya remind me of 'er a bit."

Audrey looked up at Septimus a wave of confusion crossing her features. "Who is Kitty?"

She never got an answer; he became very quiet and spoke no more.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Ah, who is Kitty? Does she have anything to do with this mess?_

_I hate the ACT. I took that on Saturday for the second time, the first time through the school at the end of last year and got a 20 with no study. I need a 21 at least. You can laugh now. I missed it by a point. I studied this time so I'll see if that helps me any. I may still take it again._

_Remember my last Author's note when I said I would be returning to my regularly scheduled chapters? Yeah, I might have lied. After this everything should pick up at a rather rapid pace and this may qualify as the last relaxing chapter for some time. If your definition of relaxing is similar to mine, but I know what's going on so… Next relaxing chapter is some time away. Enjoy._


	11. Silvertongue Acts

_**Chapter Eleven: Silvertongue Acts**_

_June 25__th__ 1998_

The streets were unusually crowded today. Cappie had managed to stay close to Septimus while he ran a few errands before they made a trip to the wizarding library out in London. Audrey, John, and Lucia were working, and Ellie was asleep. Cappie could not remember the last time he had bothered the old man and had made that his project for the day. If one wanted to be technical, Cappie was trying to keep his tracking skills up to par. Just in case he needed to follow Serena on a short notice without her knowing. Especially if she really was going to kill Slone in a government building like she said she would. Cappie ducked behind a stall while Septimus haggled with a man over a law book for his suing of the Ministry project.

Cappie found the older man rather strange in his habits. Septimus always seemed to be thinking about something, sometimes he would stare off into space and someone would have to say his name several times before they got his attention. Cappie had asked him about his childhood once, maybe twice, out of boredom and he had grown very quiet before answering, "I'm too old to remember my dull childhood, go annoy Ellie or Tom or something." Cappie was an observant child. He had noticed that they had a tendency to avoid certain subjects.

Audrey never talked about her parents; she spoke of her grandparents on occasion, but had not delved into that topic too much. _'Handlers'_ were how Lucia referred to her parents when that topic came up. John and Ellie were probably the most well adjusted. None of them spoke about what they and his parents did during the war. Cappie wanted answers, and the old man was going to give them. He looked around the stall and found Septimus was missing. He swore loudly catching the attention of a red haired matronly looking woman and a beautiful blonde who started saying something in another language. Cappie darted off into the crowd which seemed to be forming around a small platform in the middle of the street.

The man standing on the platform sounded like someone that Audrey and Russell had been talking about, Audrey had called him Silvertongue. Shouting about the Ministry's continuing injustices against those who had suffered during the war. Cappie shuddered as the answering cry rose in pitch in a passionate fever. He pulled his knit cap over his ears to try and bloke out the noise some, it was not very successful. And it didn't stop Cappie from getting stepped on by the protesters and rally-goers. He wanted to be taller, maybe then he would not be stepped on so much.

Barely making it out of the crowd with his limbs intact, Cappie felt confident he could find the geezer, until the moment when he tripped over an old woman and collided with his target for the day and Russell Bennett.

"Your tracking is horrible boy." Another thing Cappie had noticed was that Septimus seemed to go out of his way to remind him of his status as a one to young for a wand. Cappie could not wait to get a wand, Lucia had mentioned a spell Audrey had invented for tracking and he was hoping she would teach it to him someday.

Russell just laughed and pulled Cappie to his feet. "Nice try thought Caps. Reminds me of when Audrey was trying to secure her post with Septimus." Cappie looked up at Russell, this was something that he had heard ghosted over but had never heard the full story. Cappie's hopes for the tale were dashed when Septimus looked up at the crowd and said something that stopped Russell cold.

"I don't like this, Russell. That man on the platform's trouble waiting to happen." Septimus' eyebrows furrowed together forming something that appeared to Cappie to look something like a large furry caterpillar crawling across his forehead. "And when it does happen, it's going to be nasty."

"Wow, maybe you can take that woman's place as the local seer Septimus. You've got the old and creepy parts down pact." Russell leapt backwards as Septimus smacked him in the shin with his cane. "Ouch!"

Oo0Oo0

_June 28th 1998_

Audrey was no longer bored. Her boredom had been relived by the rumors of a list about a scheduled list of trials about higher-ups who were involved in the Muggle-born Registration Commission. She intended to find a way to find out when Umbridge was going to trial. Audrey wanted to see that desperately. She smiled at the thought of dementor's swarming around a horrified Umbridge as she was chained to that bloody chair in the middle of the court chamber. Audrey's hands shook as she remembered the trial that marked the end the Relocation Operation completely. Her hands stopped shaking as she stood and walked trying to fight off the waves of nausea and overwhelming sadness that marked the day. Damn dementors, it was a wonder they got out at all.

She still had an hour before work started; she had come early to see if she could find some list with Umbridge's name on it. If there was, Audrey was going to try and get down to the courtroom for that day's trials. It did not matter how long she had to wait, she wanted to see Umbridge get her just desserts. And a front row seat as a court guard would just be a bonus. The lift opened on the law enforcement floor. There was a low murmur of voices discussing the latest cases and evidence. She looked down and examined her uniform, and adjusted her holster; she did not want to be unnecessarily questioned. She walked quietly towards the security desk in a corner a couple of yards away from the lift. Audrey was not sure why they had one here, this floor held Aurors, Enforcers, Hit Wizards, and other members of law enforcement. But then again, if someone broke into the Ministry intending to cause trouble these dangerous people could be alerted to come down and aid security if needed. Like that Atrium riot that had become Walker's sore spot.

The voices rose in pitch and anger and began to intermingle into a mess of numerous conversations. Audrey lost her nerve and walked back into the lift. She was a bit afraid, and she doubted nosing around the law enforcement officials for a rumored schedule would be appreciated. She would come back later when she had more concrete information about where this supposed schedule was located.

An hour later, Audrey had found herself at the front desk with Lucia checking the wands of visitors. They seemed to end up here a lot. But it was relatively quiet so Audrey could not complain too much. After returning a wand to an older man who was dropping off lunch for his wife Audrey waved him off and saw something stranger than usual.

It was a young woman, pale, gaunt, with a haunted look about her. Audrey thought she looked like some of the muggle-borns who had come out of Azkaban after the war. She probably was. Audrey had seen plenty of them over the past couple of weeks. She was looking around and taking pictures of the Atrium. Everything from the melted statue, fireplaces, and the security desk, maybe she was a reporter or something. She shrugged and returned to her job and the woman disappeared into the crowd.

Oo0Oo0

_June 29__th__ 1998_

"I will never complain about being hungry ever again," Lucia stated as she propped her feet on the cafeteria table and rested her folded hands on her midsection. "That ham was fantastic. I think there was a hint of pineapple in there, yum…" She grinned widely, "Any opportunity I have to thank the house elves who cook here I will take." Lucia slumped farther down into her seat. "So where is the kitchen?"

Lucia's question was met with silence. With John in the library getting some study time, Felix attempting to win the affections of an emergency healer from Experimental Charms, and Piper sitting with people from her department discussing who knew what, lunch was a relatively quiet affair. Audrey was deeply absorbed in an issue of Wizarding Times, and Percy was working on some kind of paperwork.

Audrey looked up, "Sorry Lu, did you say something?"

Lucia sighed, "Nothing important Aud." She turned her attentions to Percy, "Hey, when's Umbridge's trial?"

Audrey took her eyes off the paper and looked at Percy closely. She wanted that information.

"That's high-profile, and classified until such a time that the Ministry decides if and when to release it." Audrey could describe that sentence in one word: _pompous. _

"C'mon, your connections are better than ours," Lucia said loudly. Capturing the attention of nearby diners.

"What if we want to go and watch her get her soul sucked out, if she even has one?" Audrey added as she closed the magazine and fixed Percy with a cool stare.

"Then you would be out of luck."

Oo0Oo0

The return to the front desk was quiet and uneventful. It was always quiet after the employees returning from a pleasant home lunch returned to the office. But this was a different kind of silence, a rather foreboding one. Audrey could not shake the heavy feeling that had settled in her stomach.

She looked up as the visitors entrance dropped down at the other end of the Atrium and spilled out five people. Then the fireplaces nearby began to spit out more. Audrey took her wand out of its holster. Something was not right about this…

Lucia seemed to sense the same thing Audrey did, Lucia rose to her feet and drew her wand holding it loosely in her hand. It made her look an incompetent duelist, which meant not very threatening. Audrey was half out of her chair and imitating Lucia's hold on her wand.

They group spread itself out with a larger group in the middle walking towards the front desk. Audrey felt the air leave her lungs and she forgot about looking incompetent for the surprise advantage she clutched her wand tightly in fear instead. Most of their faces showed hardship and suffering, many looked to Audrey like those picture of the muggleborns leaving Azkaban, only a bit more healthy looking though still looking otherworldly and unnatural from their suffering.

A young man with a rather sunken face was the first to arrive at the desk. "Don't say anything," he said, voice low and gravelly. "Just give me your wands and we will let you go unharmed."

Lucia and Audrey exchanged a look that said everything that was needed. Lucia laid her wand on the counter and Audrey turned her wand on one of the chairs behind her into the air and swung it over Lucia's head at the people who had gathered at the desk. Many shouted and ducked down catching the attention of their allies who were spread out around the Atrium. Lucia snatched her wand up and ducked behind the desk and began the incantation for what Dawson called the Panic Spell. Trying to summon some other guards to come and help them out. It would take a few minutes for help to arrive. In the meantime, Audrey ducked down behind the desk and set up a quick protection spell as the invaders began to destroy the Atrium.

"Well, maybe we'll still get some kind of reward," Lucia said as she peered over the desk.

Audrey looked over the desk as well and noticed a couple of rioters blowing up fireplaces. "Yeah right." Audrey mumbled as she looked over the crowd for someone who seemed to be in charge. This was to clean and organized to be completely random and somewhat planned. Everyone seemed to have a place and knew where to be. The person in charge would be right in the middle to observe his work closely, or at the end to watch it all at once. No sign of anybody who seemed to be giving orders.

Sudden sounds of yelling turned Audrey's attention to the lifts where guards and a few other law enforcement officers were pouring out and into the Atrium. Lucia and Audrey dropped their protection charm and joined the fray. Lucia had charmed the front desk to charge down the rioters. It began to run into groups of them and successfully run a few down in the process. Audrey had levitated the other chair and dropped in onto a couple of rioters who were trying to curse Lucia from behind.

They both backed against the wall, there were not a lot of guards on this side of Atrium yet. They had to work their way over through the crowd. Audrey was pretty tempted to help some of them up to the upper floors where they could do some real damage. But she would not be able to help rebuild the shop from prison; she suppressed a shudder at the thought, why was she thinking about Azkaban so much? She had only been there for a day before they were all taken to the courtroom for trial.

She hit the wizard she was dueling with a hex that made leaves sprout from his ears, before tossing him into the Fountain of Magical Brethren with another hex. Lucia floored her opponent and laughed as Audrey's opponent dragged himself out of the fountain with a confused looking scowl, his shaggy hair was covering most of his face.

Audrey looked over at the lifts to find a couple of rookie Aurors running out into the fray. Audrey observed one get hit by a stinging hex before being kicked and beaten by the rioters' bare hands. That looked painful. The other one seemed to have a better grasp of dueling then his partner as he was defending an injured guard.

"Gah!" Audrey looked back to find Lucia in a rather tight headlock, her wand lying on the ground next to her foot. She ran foreword, wand drawn and ready, until she felt a rather large hand covering her mouth and was lifted off the floor. Audrey's scream was muffled. She managed to uncover her mouth and bite his hand, hard. The man yelped, but did not release his hold; Audrey bit down harder drawing blood and began ramming her elbow into his ribs and thrashing her head back into him.

The man's grip loosened suddenly and Audrey managed to break free as the man held his wounded hand tightly cursing loudly. Audrey did not bother to pick up her wand to hex him; she punched him in the nose. The crunching sound and the howl of pain that followed were far more satisfying. As he hit the ground Audrey picked her wand up off the floor and stunned the man restraining Lucia. She turned her wand back on the man who was bleeding on the floor from a broken nose.

He looked up and reeled backwards and sat back on the floor, "Audrey Causey?"

Audrey paused and looked at the man closely, her eyes widened. "Dickens?"

The man performed a healing spell on his nose, and looked up at Audrey in awe. "Everyone says you killed, I never pictured you as government dog."

"Obviously I'm not dead, and working for people you hate pays pretty well." Audrey retorted drily as she pointed her wand away from Dickens while still remaining on high alert. She did not have to worry too much; the worst part of the riot was winding down. Many of the rioters had been subdued. Still, Audrey was taking no chances. Dickens leapt to his feet excitedly.

"They're calling you a legend! Some say you didn't even exist. Others say you were dead and are hailing you as a hero of the muggle-born community! Especially after the attack on Haven! They say that's where you were killed. Others have heard said that you were seen at the Battle for Hogwarts, most people think that is a rumor because they think you killed in the Haven raid." Dickens was babbling and beginning to repeat himself. Lucia just began laughing. The urge to disappear into the floor was very strong.

The rioters were soon quelled and collared, Dickens as well, and taken up to be processed by law enforcement. Those who were injured were taken to St. Mungo's.

Oo0Oo0

"And that was my day." Audrey said as she folded her hands on the bar, she looked at Septimus who looked to be slightly confused. "How was yours?"

"It was fine, I got a job." Septimus said as he washed dishes on the other side of the Leaky Cauldron's bar.

"They let an alcoholic like you hand out drinks," Audrey commented drily.

Septimus scowled, "I don't have a problem, and I'm washing dishes. Which is a horrible waste of my talents, I assure you." Audrey laughed as Septimus began vigorously scrubbing the glass he was holding. "I'm picking up the slack here for a couple of weeks until Tom is sure the new girl, Hannah, has a good grip on the job and the regular patrons. She's about your age. You'd probably like her."

Audrey let her thoughts wander idly. Septimus tapped her shoulder a couple of moments later. Audrey looked up at him.

"Lucia told me about Dickens, and I can see where the legend thing came about."

"How? I was following you orders-"

"With my leg, I couldn't run half the missions. I sent you in my place. To many of those people, you were the first bit of hope they saw. This can also be seen as muggle-borns looking for something, something that reminds them that they had support outside the Ministry who tried to save as many as they could, someone those who came through Haven could relate to. A person who did not have the blood status that the Garlands, Odell, Lucia, and myself have."

Audrey blinked, "John's a muggle-born."

Septimus chuckled, "Yes, but John worked for the Ministry, and he's a bit of a pacifist. John was more useful taking care of the injured that showed up and going to town for supplies. You left the muggle world a bit early and I needed someone who could blend in easily. Besides," Septimus smiled, "John's been singing Ellie's praises every chance he got and by the end began writing love poems." Audrey snickered, she never heard that bit. "And who doesn't like the idea of a kind of lone muggle-born witch in charge of the Relocation Operation? It keeps their hopes alive, Audrey. Hope is the force that keeps people moving."

"Yeah," Audrey mumbled quietly.

He leaned over the counter closer to Audrey. "You're going to be someone. I just want to see you in a position to do those great things that I know you are going to do."

_**

* * *

**_

_**Author's Notes: **__I foresee another ten or so chapters. And I want to do an extra chapter where I will ramble about my next project and answer any questions that anyone has about the storyline that were not answered during. For the month of November I have a goal of finishing about five chapters, doubling nightly word count to do so, until Thanksgiving when my relatives arrive for the holiday. That is my celebration of the awesomeness of NaNoWriMo. Considering I have everything plotted out and chapter summaries to keep me straight. So, start thinking of questions and pass them my way._


	12. Plots, Homes, and Stalls

_**Chapter Twelve: Plots, Homes, and Stalls**_

_July 1st 1998_

"I'm telling you to tell John that I am not his oven!" Audrey leaned away from Ellie as she continued her rant. "The man leaves me pregnant during a war with the entire Alley under siege, and he comes back ten months later. He left me with an accident, a happy accident, but John's going to have to wait to talk to me about siblings until I've had a couple years worth of a full night's sleep." She tickled Junior's belly affectionately. "You will be waiting on that little sister."

Audrey propped her feet on the table where Ellie was selling her baked goods at an abandoned stand from before the war, she had made it her personal project to turn this small stand into a temporary business stand. Ellie was successful in this regard, most of her business returned with a smile, kind words, and to tickle Junior's chin. Maybe the baby was part of the reason Ellie's customers spread the word so quickly about her return to business. Junior was adorable after all.

"I can't believe you want more. Junior's cute Ellie, but you want to go through the nappies and late nights again after just finishing with the first one." Audrey was an only child who never had the opportunity for a sibling. Maybe this clouded her judgment on the subject, Audrey had never really thought about marriage and children. Not much of an opportunity over the past couple of years. "I think you're nuts."

Ellie stuck her tongue out playfully, "I'm an only child too, Aud. Weren't you lonely as a kid?"

"A bit. Grandmum and Grandda were to up in years to play with me, they taught me stuff mostly. Grandda taught me how to hotwire a car."

"And that's why I want more than one," Ellie smiled, "So that you and Lucia can't focus all of your corruption on my one child." Audrey laughed.

Something caught Audrey's attention. Just across the street next to a fruit stand was the Junior Assistant with Felix Flanders who was talking loudly about some pictures he had taken for a class for a portfolio he was calling _The Office_. Felix seemed to be rather evasive about what the pictures were of. The two women stood and leaned over the counter to hear better. Audrey saw a sight that made the corners of her mouth turn up in amusement. Serena Scoresby was walking casually behind the two men appearing to be distracted by the bright fruit on sale. But her body looked very tense and ready for something. When they both stopped Serena bumped into Percy, Serena looked up and muttered an apology, as he turned away. Audrey noticed Serena tuck something shiny in her pocket before turning around and walking back up the street.

"Hey, did that kid just snitch your pocket watch?"

Audrey saw the skinny girl try and disappear into the crowd. Unfortunately, Serena couldn't quite manage this. Percy reached out and had placed his hand on her shoulder stopping the girl dead in her tracks. He held his hand out as a crowd slowed down to watch what was happening.

"Could I have my watch back?"

"Weatherby, that isn't going to work you know."

"Don't call me that."

The shorter man just grinned, and said something in Gaelic.

Percy paled as his friend finished speaking. Audrey leaned over the counter for a better look. Serena saw an opportunity as he took his eye off of her she twisted away shouting "Stranger danger!" and kicked him.

Every man who was watching the scene cringed in sympathy. Audrey just doubled over laughing; she was laughing too hard to go after the girl as she took off the pocket watch still in her pocket leaving Percy doubled over in pain. Audrey watched her pick up a snooty looking witch's purse before disappearing completely into the crowd. Talented girl, talented in the wrong field.

Ellie shook her head in disbelief. "You know, Serena was a pretty sweet kid before the war. Her mother kept her in line; Selene was the only parent she had. I liked her quite a bit. I left after they began to make those executions public, regularly. Selene was the first to go, which set a lot of people off, especially considering those kids she had taken in saw her head blown off."

Audrey stopped laughing and looked at Ellie in horror. She had not heard this story. "What did Selene do?"

"She was a freelance writer and was publishing pamphlets against the Ministry, raising moral and all that, recording every atrocity, every death that reached her ears. There was a woman that was burned alive after Selene, she was the second to die; she's haunting the Alley now. I left after a couple of months after Selene's murder, I was about five months into my pregnancy and I went to stay with my parents. I was married to a muggle-born, I was afraid I'd be next." Ellie shivered, holding Junior a little tighter. "I was scared."

This made Audrey more disturbed, what was being done for these displaced kids like Serena Scoresby? Were they getting the help they needed? Audrey rolled her eyes; it was probably still being debated by bureaucrats in the Ministry.

The snooty witch let out a screech as she realized her purse was gone. Ellie sighed and sat back down, "Are you going to help them or not?"

"You want to come?"

"As much as I'd like to, I like earning money more." Ellie smiled, "Besides, I can't ask John to watch Junior; he's studying for the Healers exam. And I can only imagine the places were Serena's spending her time." Ellie shuddered. "Have fun Audie, if I see Cappie I'll get him into advertising for my new location again. I lack your sense of adventure."

Audrey smiled, "See you Ellie!" She stepped out of the stand and kept her eyes on the crowd where Serena had disappeared. Audrey tiptoed through the crowd and tapped Felix on the shoulder. "Hello Felix, is he okay?"

"Does he look okay, Audrey?" Felix responded as he shook his head with a grimace as the Junior Assistant started to move back into an upright position. "That was underhanded."

"Pretty below the belt actually," Audrey said as she made a mental note to stop listening to Lucia's dirty remarks. It was starting to rub off on her. Percy gave her a nasty glare. "I'm pretty sure Serena took your watch, you want it back? I'm pretty sure I know where she hangs out."

Truthfully, Audrey had last seen Serena's hideaway in early May a couple of weeks before the riot. If the girl had any sense at all she would have a lot of different locations just in case someone wandered to close for comfort. Audrey was relatively sure Serena had done just that, she seemed very smart, but the fact her hideout in an old broken down building behind the shops seemed too secure a location to give up. It seemed like the kind of place any street kid would want to stay for a long period of time, Audrey thought.

"Forget her hangouts, where are her parents? It time someone told them how their daughter spends her free time. Pick pocketing, that's disgusting." Percy grumbled as the crowd began to disperse. "Have their address?"

Audrey blinked, "It's that burned out shop back there." Felix winced. "Now, do you want to come or not?"

Oo0Oo0

Audrey had to laugh at the look on Percy's face as she pointed down the turn into Knockturn Alley. He looked thoroughly horrified and glanced over his shoulder as if looking for someone to stop them from doing something stupid. Percy shook his head and adjusted the collar of his robes. Audrey had no such reputation to uphold, but she still pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. Septimus had done a few black market dealings with Audrey along in case he needed to send her to pick up something for an experiment she would know where to go and who to look for. Not everybody down here would be so kind to a lost apprentice researcher. Her first solo trip down here to pick up a package nearly put her morgue, and that was her first week of employment.

It was dark, creepy, and the perfect place to hide if one did not want to be found. Actually, she found Serena's hideout after following her after she picked the pockets of Alley customers. She was not all that hard to follow in all honesty, Serena knew she was being followed and might have begun to panic. These days she seemed to be getting a little more subtle. Today she was just unlucky. Most of the time, people never suspected a cute little girl capable of theft.

Serena and Cappie were friends, Audrey knew that much. She had no idea how close they were Audrey thought they must have gotten to know each other during the war. Adamina and Martin had stated once that they wished their son had more kids his age to play with nearby. And they also mentioned that all of their friends had older children then Cappie. He must have been a bit lonely.

"Why did Felix stay behind?" Audrey asked as she examined some of the shop signs trying to remember the way she had followed Serena into the back alleyway. That stall was not there last time. "Not very adventurous or something?"

Percy shrugged, "He said something about developing some film for his photography class. He's been meaning to go in and take care of it for a couple of weeks but he got bogged down with paperwork."

"Oh," Audrey was not sure she wanted to know what Felix found to take pictures of. She curbed her curiosity to another topic. "You look uncomfortable."

"Aren't you?"

Audrey looked up thoughtfully; going into Knockturn alone was far scarier than going in with someone to watch your back. It was still creepy with other people there but one had a better chance of coming back out with everything you came in with in groups. Audrey was sent down for potion ingredients the local place didn't sell and walked in on some kind of deal. Septimus was with her and managed to keep them out of too much trouble. Being friendly with the owner was a bonus.

"No, not really." Audrey glanced at a couple of familiar looking shop signs from the time she followed Serena to her hideout. They looked familiar enough to start with. The way there was full of twists and turns and Audrey thought that she could remember the way. The backs of the shops had faded signs from the days when shady dealings were more common. "Right this way."

"Are you sure about that? Last time I followed you somewhere I almost got eaten by a plant." It was silent for a moment, "What kid is going to hide back here?"

Audrey was starting to think Percy wasn't very street smart. And one of those people who saw the glass half empty. That sounded like someone she knew… She just could not put a finger on it.

"One who knows that the odds of someone coming back this way are slim. From what I've seen, Serena's pretty smart."

There was an irritated sound from behind Audrey.

"Intelligence isn't just measured by test grades. I've met people who had high scores but were just so stupid about other things that I could hardly talk with them. I've also met other people who were in possession of a lot of common sense and also were very bright. It's a balance." Audrey remembered her grandfather being that way. He leaned more on common sense then the higher pursuits at the university level that Audrey found so fascinating. He was smart; he just reasoned that most people did not discuss a lot of the things taught at a university on a normal day.

Percy was silent; Audrey took that as she had made her point and won a disagreement. That was rare enough for Audrey to grin widely; arguing with Septimus was too exhausting for her to pursue her point at length, so those days when she won an argument against other people just made her day that much brighter.

Her footsteps became softer as they came closer to Serena's suspected home. It was still as rundown as Audrey remembered from her last visit. It was an old building presumable from the days when the black market was at its peak during the time of World War I and II. The dates corresponding with the Wizarding Wars of the time, Audrey suddenly felt the need to look more deeply into those conflicts. Maybe it would be easier to read about other conflicts then think about the most recent one.

The building was sturdy looking, it was a stone building whose walls were still standing but a ladder to the roof appeared to be in questionable condition. She would check out the ladder later, she crept quietly to the window and peered inside finding it a little cleaner than expected. It looked lived in, and also looked a bit like any normal ten year old girl's room. Sort of; Audrey expected a little more color. The money she was taking must not have been going to renovations. Audrey walked away from the window and gave the ladder a couple of gentle tugs causing it to clamor loudly against the stone. She raised an eyebrow; it might be able to hold her weight, which meant Serena would have no problems going up if the need arose.

Reaching up and grabbing the highest rung she was able, the soles of Audrey's boots scrapping against the wall as she pulled herself up onto the ladder. Curiosity was one of the reasons she ended up in Ravenclaw, she was almost put into Gryffindor for shear recklessness. She scurried up the ladder until she reached the roof while Percy looked around the outside of the building.

The roof was very quiet, peaceful, and very clean. There was a lounge chair sitting under a sheet that a pair of nails that were sticking out of the small shack next to it. A few books shoved under the chair suggested that Serena liked to come up here and read. Audrey knelt down and read some of the titles on the spine. _A History of Weaponry, Weapon Concealment for the Paranoid,_ (Audrey made a note to find a copy of that), _How to be Prepared for the Unexpected, Spying for Gits, Basic Anatomy for Children, _and _Harriet Pottmaker and the Sacred Stone. _Audrey smiled at the girl's strange taste in reading materials; she always suspected that Serena was bright. The thought that she was trying to better herself made Audrey smile wider. It faded when she remembered that Serena was a thief and possibly also using these materials to become better at her craft. Audrey stood and walked over to the door of the shack that was hanging off its hinges and peered inside finding it empty of all forms of life. Except for spiders. There were a lot of spiders.

Turning back around to go back to the ladder and head back down to the street Audrey was sure Serena had not come straight back to her home. She made sure her foot was securely on the rung before beginning her decent. Though she slipped on bottom rung and lost her grip and collided with Percy who managed to stop her from falling over.

"Are you alright?"

Audrey nodded slowly, feeling suddenly rather awkward. Her stomach dropped into her feet. "Yes, I'm fine." He let got of her arms. "I hate to say that if Serena's not here, I have no idea where she is going to be. She'll probably be back later after she sells everything." Audrey paused as she realized that was probably what Serena was doing. " Um...I'll tell Russell to tell Cadwallader to send someone down to start looking for her, maybe Cadwallader could find a place for her."

"It's alright, it's just a pocket watch. If I get it back, that would be great. If I don't then I'll live. You're standing on my foot by the way."

"Oh, sorry." Audrey removed her foot and stepped back. "Sure you don't want to wait her out or anything?" Audrey paused and thought for a moment. "Why is it that children like Serena can't get help?"

"Minister Shacklebolt has been trying to get support and obtain funding for improvements to the children's homes that have been filled after the war ended. Quite a few officials are unwilling to part with a few sickles off their paychecks. And," Percy chuckled drily, "Businesses are as stingy with their money as goblins are."

Audrey smiled, maybe he was not completely heartless.

Oo0Oo0

"Milady, I believe we can now safely come to the conclusion that the book will not be opened by our work."

"I've been thinking the same thing," The woman said calmly seeming to accept the information as something unsurprising. "Perhaps we should start thinking of another way, two months is quite long enough to judge whether or not we could open the book on our own without the aid of the spell. And my attempts to find the information in the Ministry Archives on this particular item have been yielded no fruit. My efforts to go into the Department of Mysteries to search their books of myths, legends, and dark artifacts have been thwarted on each occasion. My clearance will not let me go down there." She looked back at the masked man. "I think we may need another plan."

The man in the golden mask propped his chin on his fist as he began to think. A few minutes passed before he spoke. "Perhaps we need to return to the source. Septimus Lowell."

The woman looked closely at the masked man as he continued to speak.

"Lowell had this item for sale in his shop, Merlin knows why, and I doubt he would be selling it if he really had an idea what it was. But I wouldn't put a thing past him, he is very hard to predict and very short on money from what I have heard. There are few things that I am absolutely positive of that we can use against him, the first being he is an alcoholic. My first plan involves putting Lowell in a room for a few weeks and wait for him to talk for a swig of whiskey. That should take less than a day if done correctly." The man in the mask joked as he reached for his own bottle of wine and an empty glass which soon became full.

The woman shook her head, "For an old man, he would be too difficult to catch. He is always around other people and I doubt retirement from the Aurors for all of these years would have slowed his either his wits or wand work. It's far too risky, one failed attempt and the old man will be very prepared the next time."

"The second point is that one of the few people who he would trust with any kind of information would be his apprentice."

"What about his niece?"

"They have only known about each other for a year, and I am not entirely sure where their relationship stands. Lowell treats Causey like a mixture of assistant and his own daughter. I wonder if there's another reason he keeps her around…"

The woman tilted her head slightly, "You think she is a secret-keeper don't you?"

"It's an idea we can use," he paused and took a sip of wine. "Septimus Lowell has worked very hard to keep her alive, I'm quite sure he wants to keep her that way."

_**

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Author's Note:

_Alright I can now say with complete certainty we are making the steady climb to the climax of our tale. And I guarantee everyone that everything read here carries over to my next major project which is a next gen piece. End me, please. It's been eating away at me for some time and my leads are beginning to order me to put their story down. My heroine's being exceptionally snarky about it. _

_On another note entirely, I found out my ACT score. I got another 20, but my math and science scores improved by a couple of points. Ironically, my English dropped by two. How does that work? T_T Stupid Government scholarship thingy, I will be taking it again. _


	13. The Last Patrol

_**Chapter Thirteen: The Last Patrol**_

_July 2__nd__ 1998_

"I am sure you are all wondering about any possible bonuses you will be receiving for assisting in the breaking up of that riot down in the Atrium a couple of days ago." The well-dressed man said as he paced back and forth in front of the meeting chamber where the security guards had been summoned. The response was a series of loud cheers from every guard, as they thumped each other on the back and clapped their hands. Bonuses were wonderful things.

"You bet Mister Butler," Walker stood and yelled from his seat at the back table. "How much are we getting?"

"Walker, sit!" Dawson shouted from the front of the room. Walker sat down hard. There was laughter from around the room.

The well dressed man at the front of the room wiped his brow as he looked at the group of men and women in front of him. If one judged by his attire they could say that he was a high ranking, well-paid official. By his weary demeanor, one could guess that he did not associate with the people this far down on the Ministry food chain. Those who openly made dirty jokes, hung around the pubs until closing, and complained about the higher-ups on a regular basis. They must have been rather intimidating to the very prim Mister Butler.

Butler began to speak again, "Yes," he dabbed his sweaty brow with his handkerchief. "I will get right to the point. We wish to thank you for your actions during the incident from the bottom of our hearts, but due to shortages in our funding for bonuses for jobs done so well by a full department, you will not be compensated for your acts-" The rest of Butler's speech was drowned out by roars from the captive audience.

"What about the security reward you promised last month?" Walker shouted over the loud shouts of his fellows. "What happens with that?"

"QUIET!" Dawson shouted turning to face his employees. Silence overtook the room. Dawson hardly gave orders, but when he did his guards listened.

Butler began dabbing his neck with his handkerchief, "That is in another section of funding with specific terms to match its presentation to the ones who earn it. Also none of those rioters qualified as dark wizards of any sort." There was a loud booing from the guards. "I wish for you all to have a pleasant day." Butler walked out of the room as quickly as he could without breaking into a run. The glares in the eyes of the security guards following him out.

Audrey had a feeling it was going to go something like that, especially after that talk with the Junior Assistant yesterday. None of her associates did though, and that just set them off on a political rant. Lucia rested her forehead on the table and went to sleep as Walker came over to find some people to talk with. Oddball followed, looking a bit confused and disappointed about how things had gone.

"Can you believe this?" Walker asked as he pulled out the chair next to Audrey and sat down arms crossed in front of his chest. "We get roughed up for the bloody Ministry hoping for a payday and we get nothing." He exhaled loudly. "It's perfectly-"

"Believable," Audrey interrupted, "Like he said, there is no money. The Minister, I've heard, is trying to get as much money as he can by getting donations from still standing corporations, and shaving a few sickles off of the stiffs upstairs. The stiffs are used to living well and don't want to lose their standard of living, so obviously he's having trouble trying to get support for his ideas." Walker opened his mouth and Audrey finished speaking quickly. "He wants more children's homes and support for people whose lives were destroyed during the war." Walker closed his mouth.

"Aud's got a point Walker," Oddball said as he twiddled his thumbs and leaned on the table. "It might be a good idea to listen to her too; she might be the most educated person in our department."

The table was silent; no one had heard Oddball speak in a little over a week. Oddball then stood and pretended to be trapped in an invisible box.

Oo0Oo0

The rest of Audrey's day past in a dull blur of the typical, dull, and predictable Ministry desk sitting, she missed the shop a little more every day. Soon she had clocked out and found herself standing outside of Celeste Cadwallader's room in the Leaky Cauldron. They were practically neighbors, but they did not talk much. As one could imagine, standing outside of her room was rather awkward. It felt like spying.

Audrey rapped her knuckles against the wood door and stepped back at the resounding shout from the other side. "Door's open, Hannah!" Audrey walked inside.

"Cadwallader? It's Causey," Cadwallader looked up from the book she was reading, her long chestnut hair out of its usual bun and hiding most of her face from Audrey's view. "I was wondering how you're doing with Serena?"

Celeste Cadwallader placed her book next to her with a grimace and began to put her hair back up. She bit her lower lip for a brief moment, and Audrey realized just how young Cadwallader was. "She moved. That little old shop you described is empty. She might have seen you two nosing around and decided to leave." Cadwallader stood, "I'm very sorry, I checked the place out myself and all I found were spiders." She stiffened at that admission. "I have no idea where she would go now but mark my words; locating Serena Scoresby is now among the Patrol's top priorities. I will tell Bennett and Scully to spread the word that if Serena Scoresby is sighted she is to be captured immediately for her own protection. I can't have a little girl to worry over with Darnell Lux and his friends rising back up to power in the criminal underworld."

Audrey nearly slammed the door behind her, "D-Darnell Lux? He's back…"

"Not quite yet, Causey. My sources on the inside have said that the guild is slowly putting itself back together, we have time to catch Miss Scoresby, don't worry. But I'm preparing for the worst in case they decide to pick up the pace. What has you so worried?"

"I've… I've heard things about Lux, that's all." Audrey said quietly, Darnell Lux, she would not forget him in a hurry.

"None of them good, I trust?" Cadwallader asked with a look that from the stoical woman was the equivalent of a smile.

"Not at all. Thank you for telling me that." Audrey suddenly felt kind of bad; it was known that the information that the patrol gave Cadwallader was half lies and truth. Nobody really appreciated the Ministry's interference in Diagon Alley's affairs these days. Especially after the Diagon Enforcers went to the other side during the war and looked over many crimes. People liked Cadwallader, just not what she represented. "We're having a card game this evening; would you like to play with us?"

"That sounds nice."

Oo0Oo0

"Aud…" John moaned as Audrey opened the door to her room. John looked a shade of ghostly white, with large dark circles under his eyes and holding a bucket tightly to his chest. Audrey shrieked and nearly slammed the door in shock. She had never seen John look this ill before. "I need a favor… I need you to go with Bennett on patrol tonight… I think I'm sick…"

"I think you are right."

"I'm sorry about the short notice… Bennett's going to be here in a couple of minutes."

"Just go to bed John. I'll get my cloak and boots and meet him downstairs. Now go to bed." Audrey closed the door as John shuffled across the hall hunched over his bucket pathetically.

A couple of minutes later Audrey was stepping out into the hall again, ready to go and look for possible new hideouts for Serena. That brat. Audrey walked down the creaking stairs to find Russell sitting at the bar. He looked over at Audrey and smiled.

"Hey, where's Johnny?" Russell asked as he got off the stool and walked towards Audrey, "He's running late."

"John's sick, I'll go with you tonight. So, ready to go?"

Russell's expression changed from one of curiosity to absolute excitement. His smile seemed to grow larger and he held the door open to let Audrey pass first before going out himself.

The street was growing dark and many were beginning to head home for the evening. They walked quietly for a few minutes looking for the homeless man who would give up good information for a price. The man lived on the streets after the war for some reason that Audrey was curious about, he had said it was a choice. Audrey didn't ask any more questions on the subject.

They soon found him at the entrance to Knockturn Alley sorting through the items he had in his bag, blankets, cloaks, a small brown bag, and a few items of presumably sentimental value. Russell walked over with Audrey following closely her hand on her wand holster; she may have brought it back from the office. Easy and efficient for carrying a rather versatile weapon. The homeless man looked at the pair and smiled, he seemed to expect some of his regular patronage for his information. "'Ullo there Russell!" He stood and peered over at Audrey who had just stepped into Russell's lengthening shadow. "And this must be the lovely Audrey ya keep talking about. Ya lucky dog, ya finally got the girl, I can go collect from Scully now right?" He looked even closer at Audrey who was now contemplating an invisibility charm. Russell had been shocked into silence. "Ya were right; she does have beautiful eyes like the ice on a frozen pond." The man leaned in closer to Russell; Audrey could barely hear him speak. "Pay me extra and I'll be quiet." Audrey heard the jingle of coins being taken out of Russell's pocket. Audrey pretended she was somewhere else while turning away to look down the street. She could feel her face growing warmer.

Russell was asking questions and receiving answers. He was beginning with small, trivial things and working his way to the things he really wanted to know. Like where Serena was hiding. The man said that he had seen the girl, but he had no idea where she would be. "Sorry I can't be of more help to ya Russ. I'll keep my eyes open for the kid and tell ya if I find her."

"Thank you, have a good evening sir." Russell said with a smile as he turned to continue the regular route.

"Just a moment Russell," The man said as he looked around nervously, a far change from his joking demeanor a few minutes ago. "I just heard something that may be of interest to your lot."

"I'm listening."

"There is a rumor about a man called Lux beginning to rise back to power in the criminal underworld."

Audrey turned to look at the man, "It's not a rumor, Cadwallader told me the same thing earlier today. If it's reached the Ministry's ears he must have made an error in judgment of some sort. We want to find Serena before Lux can, before he can turn her into one of his recruits. Lux is likely having a field day with all of these kids who lost their guardians during the war. Wants an army he does."

The man rolled his eyes, "He's hardly being subtle girly, Lux opened a meeting hall someplace in Knockturn Alley. It's the same one he's been using with a new entrance in a new location. If people get to close," he drew his finger across his throat. "Ya get the picture."

Russell chuckled nervously, "I really don't think he's trying to build a child army Aud."

"He wants to expand his empire, Russell, get the new recruits young, poor as dirt, and alone in the world." It was a perfect strategy. Audrey remembered it well. "He gets half of everything his cronies bring in, most of them are rather good at their jobs and brainwashed enough to do anything he says. Why do you think we had Enforcers here? They were trying to bring him down; petty theft is hardly anything for Aurors to deal with." Audrey smiled grimly. "Darnell Lux stays just below their radar."

"Thanks again for the help, sir." Russell said to the man who smiled in response as he put everything back into his bag and walked down the street. He looked at Audrey once the man was out of hearing. "I'm sorry, you probably have a better idea how Lux works then I do, considering you were one of his… What's the word?"

"Prospects. I lucked out when you told me about the position at the Septenary, I almost joined up." Audrey started to laugh. "I almost became a career criminal." She clutched her sides as she began to laugh harder. "A year later I was wanted for the stealing of magical power. I love the irony."

They continued down the usual route without any problems. Aside from the regular problems of scams, local scandals, and a lost rat all was quiet. All was well. On their return trip to the Leaky Cauldron, Russell stopped in front of the entrance to Knockturn Alley and peered down it intently. Audrey had never seen him look that way before. He was pretty happy go lucky most of the time. "Aud, I think I saw something down there."

"Like what?" Audrey asked as she peered around him, placing a hand on Russell's shoulder.

"It was a reflection of some sort, some bright gleam." He looked back at Audrey with a smile, "Want to take a look?"

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Audrey did not like walking into Knockturn Alley after dark.

Russell smiled, "Hey, you're with me, it'll be fine." He strode down the cobblestone street confidently leaving Audrey to hurry after him. "I know you're not scared to the dark Aud!"

Being afraid of the dark was an irrational fear if one was alone in their room. Being afraid of the dark while walking down a dark street was perfectly rational. Audrey may have fearlessly walked down this street during the day while following a little girl and fetching supplies, but night in Knockturn justified most of her paranoia. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and pulled her wand out of its holster. It began to rain heavily. Audrey moved closer to Russell as he as stopped suddenly and a burst of thunder overhead brought her hands to her ears and caused her knees to buckle. She wanted to leave and hide under the covers on her bed. Audrey was ashamed to admit her irrational fear.

Russell looked down at her warmly as Audrey stepped behind him as another loud boom sounded overhead. "You alright?"

"F-fine," She looked around nervously, dread growing within her. "Russell, I have a bad feeling and I think it's time to go back."

"I thought you wanted to catch the masked bloke?"

"I do, but I have a really bad feeling."

"Okay, okay, we'll go back." Russell smiled and placed his arm around her shoulders. "I don't know why you're so paranoid. I mean, nothing ever happens around here except for pub fights, riots, pick pocketing, drunkenness, disorder, gambling, and card games. Was that everything?"

Audrey nodded. She then felt Russell pull her into a gap between a couple of shops and put his hand over her mouth. "Mumph!" Audrey looked out into the street to find the man in the mask standing there with another figure with its face hidden by the hood of its cloak.

The second figure was tall and slender with very white hands; Audrey noticed it was a woman when she spoke. She had a soft, pretty voice. "How are things proceeding? Well I hope."

"He told me to come back in a couple of days after he thought about it. I hope you understand my reasoning behind allowing him time to think it over."

"I would rather have willing servants." The woman replied smoothly, as she adjusted the clasp of her cloak. "I don't think it would be wise to continue this discussion here, someone may hear us. I would rather not have any… _disappearances_ tonight."

Russell pulled Audrey closer as she began to tremble uncontrollably. The pair began to walk away down the Alley and Russell released his hold on Audrey and began to walk out of the gap after them. "C'mon Audrey!"

"_Disappearances _Russell!" Audrey hissed as Russell walked after the pair with Audrey following a few feet behind him down the winding twisting street. "Bad feelings!" She mumbled to her own hearing. "He just doesn't listen to me… Men are gits…"

There was a shout from up ahead and a bright burst of light. Audrey broke into a run and rounded the corner with her wand in hand ready to return fire. She never saw what happened next, and never heard the spell that hit her in the chest and threw her into a large puddle of water. The last thing she heard before blacking out was some shouting from a lady for someone to call an Enforcer.

Oo0Oo0

An hour later Percy found himself dragging his drunken brother away from the scene of yet another brawl at the Sneezing Snitch. Percy now had every intention of talking to people who had the authority to close it down seeing how often these fights occurred. He had ruined a couple of good cloaks already trying to find his brother in that mess. It was a rather unsanitary place.

Perhaps he just needed to go to bed, finish the mystery novel he was reading and hope that he did not go downstairs to find his mum crying over the eggs. Percy had started going to work earlier to avoid scenes like that, three times was enough for him. It also meant he could avoid George and his worship of the porcelain god. George had moved back in at his mother's insistence. Percy was preparing himself to tell his mum that he was moving back to his flat. It felt very uncomfortable to be home for the past couple of months, he had gotten the feeling often that he wasn't wanted around. To add to that, he just felt guilty.

"It's your fault, ya know." George slurred as he stumbled away from his brother.

"I know it is," This scene felt familiar. "But I'll find a way to fix it, I promise." It was not like he would be missed if he found a way to do it anyway. Though Percy knew it was impossible, it felt good to think he could fix it.

Percy found himself wondering where Audrey was, she usually located her drunken father about the same time he found George. The old man was still there teasing the barkeep Scully while he drank his way through his third bottle. At least Percy thought it was his third bottle. He wondered how long she had been dragging her father back from shady pubs like that. Though Scully seemed to make sure nobody stepped out of line and she seemed well known enough to not have too many problems.

There was some kind of commotion up ahead, voices shouting about a mugging and a murder. In between a couple of Medi-Wizards was a figure covered completely in a white sheet. Percy noticed there was a red stain on the chest area. He looked away and found another figure that was on a stretcher and in the process of being taken to Saint Mungo's.

_**

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Author's Note:

_I had a hard time writing this for some reason. I knew what was going to happen, just not sure how it should happen. But it had to be done, and I have a nice start on a couple of other chapters. I just need to add more details and finish the one that comes next. _

_Yes, Percy does think Septimus and Audrey are related. I think its kind of funny._


	14. Remembrance

_**Chapter Fourteen: Remembrance**_

_December 30th 1995_

Audrey smiled contentedly as she leaned back in the third class seat watching the world fly by through the train window. A small wooden box in her lap opened displaying many letters and a few pictures that Audrey was looking at carefully, taking in every detail, the man, whose smile looked infectious and lively, the woman who looked as happy as he did. Another picture showed the two much at roughly Audrey's age.

She was finally going to see her father. Her hands began to shake excitedly as she closed the box and held it to her chest. Audrey was going to find him.

They would be a family again.

Though, she was nervous about this whole traveling to London bit. Audrey only had enough muggle money for one ticket one way. She nudged the broom lying next to her feet nervously. Just in case things went bad, like if her wallet got stolen, she could at least have a way to go somewhere.

After her grandfather had begun to get sicker, Audrey had managed to procure an old broom before the Christmas holidays and enchant it at the school. Just in case she needed to make some kind of escape after Granda's funeral. It was a large enough affair that Audrey had snuck off without too much notice. The only person that was not there was her father, Audrey was sure he had good reason for not coming. Maybe he was working on a case. Her eyes began to grow heavy as she took her dad's large old trench coat from her rucksack, which held all of her worldly goods, to use as a blanket and tugged the fur cap around her head snuggly around her ears.

In the muggle world, Audrey was still underage for another couple of years; she would still be underage in the wizarding world for another few months. She was not going to a muggle children's home, she may not be able to get back to school if she did. Also she didn't like the idea of explaining her abnormalities to muggles. Audrey was sure her father would accept her; it would only be for a few months they could get to know each other. Audrey was positive he would take her in, she knew it somehow.

Oo0Oo0

"Causey… Causey… Causey… Where is Aran Causey?" Audrey flipped through the phonebook in a local library, quickly reading each name until a small ad on the page next to it caught her attention.

_Aran E. Causey, Private Investigator_

The ad gave an address and a phone number. Audrey smiled a she copied the information on the back of a free bookmark, her hand trembling in nervous excitement and anticipation. He was not too far from here; she had walked down the same street to get to this library. It would be a quick walk back the way she came. Audrey double checked the address thanked the librarian, and ran out the door, excitement and adrenaline pulsing through her body, so close, so very close.

She felt her boot lose grip on the icy steps to the building bringing Audrey to her knees. She felt the corners of her eyes dampen in pain. "Ouch!" She hissed as she pulled herself to her feet and winced as he knee refused to straighten. Grabbing the railing, Audrey managed to limp inside where it was nice and warm. There was a tiny woman at the desk who was reading a magazine with interest. Audrey limped over, adjusting her backpack and double checking to see if she still had her broom. "'Cuse me Ma'am, do you know where I can find Aran Causey?"

The woman looked up with interest. "707 on the seventh floor," she paused. "He doesn't get a lot of visitors, clients mostly. You seem too young to be a client."

"I'm eighteen." Audrey lied wanting to keep this nosy woman out of her business. "Thing is, I'm looking for someone and Mister Causey came highly recommended."

"Ah," the woman replied as she waved Audrey on so she could continue reading her magazine. Audrey limped into the lift at the other end of the room.

Audrey was scared. Her heart was beating so loudly she swore the man standing next to her in the lift could hear it. It stopped on the seventh floor and Audrey walked off with a photograph of her father in her pocket to remind herself why she was here. It was her favorite picture, her father looked high spirited and mischievous. Audrey's grandmother used to say that she had the same smile her father had whenever she was up to something. That was how she could always tell if Audrey was doing something she wasn't supposed too.

'707… 707…' The door was a solid looking oak door was the only thing keeping her from her family now. Her heart thundered louder in her chest as her stomach rumbled loudly. 'Maybe he'll feed me…' Audrey's fist rose to knock on the door. Why was she so nervous?

As she was about to knock the door suddenly flew open.

"If you're selling raffle tickets boy, I'll make this easy for you. I'm not interested." Audrey felt her jaw drop as she looked at the man before her. He was fast approaching forty with a couple of gray hairs in his mouse brown hair possessing a wiry build. The thing that made Audrey do a double take was the fact that they had the same coloring down to the ice blue eyes. Everything else could be claimed by Eva Causey, Audrey's mother. He looked Audrey up and down with a wary eye, "Now what do you want?"

"I-I… I'm not selling anything." _C'mon__ Audrey tell him who you are! _"I-I'm looking for someone…"

Aran Causey gripped the bridge of his nose with one hand and motioned for Audrey to come in with the other. Audrey stepped past him and into the flat. It was fairly clean except for the kitchen which was covered in brown paper sacks and a lot of cans. There was also a container of Chinese takeout sitting nearby. It smelled good. She heard the door close and footsteps walking across the wood floor. "I like my clients to call first, holiday or not." He brushed past Audrey and sat at the desk he had set up in what looked like a living room and sat down behind it professionally, and motioned for her to sit down in an overstuffed armchair on the other side. Audrey set her things down and sat suddenly feeling nauseous. "Alright, I need some information."

"L-Like what?" Audrey stared at him with eyes like saucers and began to twiddle her thumbs nervously. She looked over his shoulder to find a rather large bookshelf filled with what appeared to be a collection of history books. She would love to sit down with one of those thick volumes for a few hours. Her thumbs stopped twiddling and rested on her knees while she focused on the books to begin collecting her thoughts.

"I'll need the name of the person you are looking for, what they look like, their date of birth, last place they were spotted, last year they were seen is a very good place to start on these matters. I'll need your name and information as well." There was a ringing sound from a room in the back. "I'll be right back." He walked briskly towards the room that was the source of the noise. Audrey felt her stomach flip uncomfortably when she heard him yelling at some poor soul over the phone. _"I am not interested in whatever it is you are trying to sell! It's New Year's Eve for crying out loud! Now_ please_ stop calling me!"_

'_He's got a temper…' _Audrey thought as she stood to have a better look around. The room was very bare with a couple of paintings and no photographs to speak of. She sat down quickly as she heard him walk down the hall and back into the room.

"Sorry, sorry," he reclaimed his seat behind the desk, and picked his pen back up to resume his note taking.

"Do you have any kids' sir?" Audrey blurted out before she could stop herself. No turning back now.

"No." Aran Causey replied flatly, as the phone began to ring again. "Bloody blasted thing!" He rose and walked briskly back to answer the phone again.

Audrey leapt out of her chair, her eyes wet. She was wrong. _Wrong!_ He didn't want her all those years ago and he really would not want an _abomination_ like her under his roof now. Her breathing became short and ragged as her stomach rumbled loudly. The smell of still warm Chinese food filled her nostrils. She picked up her bag and walked quickly and quietly into the kitchen, picked up the box of takeout and put it into her bag along with a couple of cans of peaches in her coat pockets. '_Screw him!'_ Audrey never needed him before and she was not going to start needing him now! '_He left me, what in the world made me think he would want me now'_ She walked through the front door quietly with tears beginning to roll down her cheeks as she walked to the lift quickly, pushing past the father and daughter just walking out of the lift. As the lift doors closed Audrey gave a choked sob. She pulled herself together as the lift door slid open to the main floor. The woman behind the desk popped her gum as she continued to read her magazine, not even noticing a red-eyed Audrey going through the front door. _'He didn't even come to Granda's funeral! What the hell was I thinking?' _Audrey hated crying, her face felt blotchy, her eyes puffy; she was not one of those girls who could cry prettily.

She continued to walk through the snow and took the hot meal out of her bag when her tears began to subside. "He's my bloody father; the least he can bloody do is bloody feed me!" A man walking in front of her turned appearing to be appalled by her language. Audrey had meant every word.

Hours later, Audrey found herself in front of a building ignored by passing muggles. She had continued walking in a daze and managed to sneak onto the underground to get here. Audrey had decided she was done with the muggle world; there was nothing for her there anymore. She smiled tightly, it was time she grew up and made something out of herself. Walking quietly through the front door, Audrey suddenly felt warmer from the large crowd of people gathered in the Leaky Cauldron and the large fire growing in the fireplace. Audrey peered over the heads of a couple of people in front of her where a clock was striking seven in the evening. Audrey had muggle money, and the small savings account she had started at Gringotts had a little bit of money in it though according to the clock she would not be able to make any withdrawals and money transfers until morning.

Audrey sat up on an empty barstool next to an older man with grey hair and very thick caterpillar eyebrows. She eyed him warily as he drank his way through the glass of whiskey, he pushed his glasses up his nose and smacked his hand on the bar a couple of times. Audrey jumped. "Another round Tom and keep'em comin', it's New Years after all." His robes were patched at the elbows, Audrey noticed. She guessed the old timer was the local drunk that people had learned to ignore somewhat. He seemed rather friendly with a few of the people nearby and was making conversation with the barkeep Tom. Audrey then presumed he was a very regular customer.

She took the picture out of the pocket of her coat. It was just a picture of two people called Evelyn and Aran Causey, one dead in the ground, the other dead to her. Audrey seriously considered for a few minutes throwing it into the fireplace, but changed her mind and put it back in her pocket.

By the time midnight had come, Audrey had forgotten the older man completely and gone to sleep with her head on her arms. She had no idea she would soon become very familiar with him when school let out for the summer.

Oo0Oo0

"Do it again Audrey. And this time, do it right."

Audrey doubled over resting her hands on her knees, she was sore Septimus had been instructing her for almost an hour on different techniques in combat. Stuff he had invented on the fly during his youth and some standard spell review. He was doing it with everybody but he seemed to be focusing on Audrey particularly. "I thought that was right." She panted as she tried to stand up straight.

"Don't get smart with me young lady! I'm trying to keep you alive. Perfect practice makes perfect, now do it again."

"You're pretty mean when you're off the booze."

The ground beneath her began to shake as Septimus tapped his cane on the ground and muttered an incantation. Audrey suddenly found herself rising into the air by her ankles. A root had risen out of the ground and was pulling her up into the tree nearby. "What!" It lower towards the ground so that she was now eye to eye with the disturbingly sober Septimus, Audrey was starting to regret her comment towards his unwanted sobriety.

Septimus' voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned closer to the dangling Audrey. "You were expecting me to throw a hex at you right? Something you could see coming and defend yourself against? I hate to tell you kid, the real world fights dirty, lying in wait for any and all opportunities to destroy you. I suggest you start refining your technique and start thinking like the people who want to kill you. The only allies you have are the people with us now, the Ministry is being run by You-Know-Who supporters who appear to be trying to _purify_," he said purify like it was some kind of bad taste in his mouth, "the wizarding world by, what sounds to me like genocide. You're turning purple." Audrey yelped as she was unceremoniously deposited on the forest floor. "I suggest you start thinking outside the box the Hogwarts and Ministry Educational Regulations put you into, because the enemy knows every spell you do except for the ones you discover on your own and what I am trying to teach you now. Go do it again."

"Y-yes sir!" Septimus was right; she only had one shot at making it out of this war alive, though if she had to go down, Audrey intended to take as many Death Eaters and Ministry Mooks as she could with her.

Oo0Oo0

_July 4__th__ 1998_

"Ow…" Audrey opened her eyes to find herself staring at a white light, her eyes widened as she focused on the light over her head. She blinked a couple of times, "Agrippa's knickers, I'm dead aren't I…" A rather scruffy looking figure leaned over her. Audrey recognized it immediately. "Wait, if you're here this can't be heaven… This must be the _other _place!"

"Hell is reserved for politicians, bureaucrats, lawyers, and traitors. You're not dead yet, keep this up though and I might just kill you myself. Though I'll have a very hard time explaining where you went to the neighbors." Septimus moved back a bit, leaning on his walking stick while giving Audrey a look that would make those unfamiliar with it run screaming in the other direction. The dark circles under his eyes were no help. "I want to know what the hell you were thinking." He was breathing heavily and Audrey pulled the hospital sheets up to her chin to try and hide. "I would not have even known where you were or what happened unless that bloody bureaucrat came back to the pub to tell me what was going on. He seemed to think I was _Mister Causey_ for some reason…"

"Did you tell him we're not related?"

"No, I was about to while I was stepping out the door and then I tripped over that depressed clown brother of his who passed out on the front steps of the Sneezing Snitch." Septimus replied flatly, as he rubbed his forehead. His tone reverted to clipped. "I hate feeling like I _owe_ somebody. But we were not discussing that. What were you doing down there?"

It all came back in a rush, Russell, the cloaked woman, the thunder, and the man in the golden mask, and that bright light. "Russell saw the man in the mask in Knockturn. I couldn't let him go alone, he was meeting this woman. I didn't see her face but she had this pretty voice and they seem to be working together." Audrey was speaking quickly trying to tell Septimus exactly what happened as quickly as she could. "They walked deeper into Knockturn, Russell was following with me a few feet behind him and… Is Russell okay? When can I see him?"

Septimus seemed at be at a loss for words for a moment, he was looking around the room seeming to take in the strange assortment of medical injuries nearby, including a man with a pickle stuck in his ear. "There is something you need to-"

"Uncle, I brought the tea!" Lucia's voice sounded from the other end of the room. There was a rapid pattering of footsteps as Lucia approached. "One large half full glass of green tea no sugar for you, and a small jasmine for me, I can't believe you don't like sugar in your tea. Absolutely mental." She gave a cup of tea to Septimus and fixed Audrey with a relieved smile. "How are you feeling? Better then yesterday I hope."

Audrey raised an eyebrow, "What's the date?"

"The fourth, you've been out of it since they brought you in on the second. You did wake up for a bit yesterday, but they gave you some sleeping drought and doused you with some more potions to help speed up the healing of some other damage." Lucia smiled grimly, it quickly morphed into a look of disgust. "Uncle, are you putting _whiskey_ in your _tea_?"

"Yes," Septimus replied as he stirred the contents of his glass slowly and placed his flask of whiskey on the bedside table. "Why do you care what I put in my tea?"

"Because it's gross."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"No."

"Then you have no grounds for an argument." Septimus answered coolly as he took a sip of his tea.

Audrey could not care less at that moment what Septimus put in his tea or not, he still had not answered her question. "When can I see Russell?" Septimus and Lucia grew quiet. Audrey's stomach knotted up in anxiety. "Please tell me."

Septimus looked down at his tea, appearing to be uncomfortable, "Russell is dead, Audrey. I'm sorry."

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Why do I enjoy writing Septimus Lowell so much? _

_Ah, yes, you may be wondering why most of this chapter was a flashback, well truthfully I really don't know. I didn't think that I could fill a good sized chapter without them. So pick your favorite flashback segment. I seemed to enjoy the moment when Audrey took her father's dinner. That was time when she took on a life of her own and was surprisingly easy to write._

_I realized something while I was writing this, Audrey seems to have put her father on a pedestal as a child and held onto that belief until they met. She may be continuing to do this to other people as well, especially people she admires. Just a thought of mine. _

_I foresee my next chapters being very emotionally charged, some more than others. _

_Fun Pointless Information: Audrey and her father have the same initials. It was her mother's idea. _


	15. Grief

_**Chapter Fifteen: Grief**_

_July 5__th__ 1998_

Audrey could not sleep; she was staring at the ceiling trying to comprehend everything that had happened during the past couple of days. She needed a something to focus on, something to focus her attentions. Like another patrol shift, or finally getting serious about hunting down the masked man. Audrey waited too long for him to make a move and he had murdered her friend. If he thought he was going to get away then he had another thing coming, his death would be far from painless if she had her way. Audrey intended to have her way.

Sitting up was painful, the hospital had released her with a prescription for the proper medications but it was going to be a slow recovery. The curse she was hit with was something that was known to kill with enough force to make the death very painful. Audrey was lucky, she was hit with the very edge of the curse and it only caused injuries that she could recover from in time. Audrey sucked in air through gritted teeth as she turned and placed her toes on the cold floor. She moved her foot around slowly looking for her slippers. Both were located under her bed and were dragged out, pink bunny slippers tended to be easy to find. Audrey rose to her feet slowly and shuffled across the floor towards the bathroom clutching at her chest. Reaching for the wooden door of the cabinet a sudden sharp pain shot up her arm. She swore under her breath as she pushed through the pain, pulled the door open and took a green potion and placed it on the counter. Audrey took the top off and was consumed by the smell of rotten eggs.

"That's gross," she muttered as she read the directions on the back of the bottle. "Two mouthfuls in the morning, two before bed. If pain continues during the day may take one mouthful after lunch. Do not take if you suspect you are pregnant, are actually pregnant, or are trying to become pregnant. Must they put that one everything?" She lifted the vile to her nose and sniffed it nervously before leaning away from it quickly. "It's really gross." She sucked in a breath, plugged her nose and took two mouthfuls of the vile concoction. Audrey gagged as she placed the potion back into the cabinet and closed the door, it tasted like cherries, and Audrey hated cherries.

It would be lying to say that she felt completely better after taking the medicine and arriving to work. Audrey still felt like she had been pushed in front of the Knight Bus as she arrived at the Ministry a couple of hours later. She turned up the collar of her trench coat and looked at the floor as she walked back to the Security hall to go down to the locker room. There were whispers from the other guards that seemed to follow her. Maybe she was being paranoid.

A few minutes later Audrey had stepped out of the locker room in full security uniform and found herself walking towards the postings for the day, it was upside-down again but Audrey could not bring herself to care. If Walker got laid it was none of her concern. Audrey tilted her head and found her post of be on the second floor. Not too much to worry about, that was where the Aurors and Enforcers were based. They tried to maintain a calm environment to work in considering their stressful jobs. Audrey did not need to be upstairs for another twenty minutes; she needed to visit the library. Audrey had finished her book already and needed something to read.

Wondering to the lift that would take her to the library Audrey realized the early birds were beginning to arrive. She could be upstairs in about fifteen minutes, she just needed to return a book and pick up a couple more. She was still helping Septimus try and sue the Ministry, just had to find the right loophole. Though at the moment, that was not at the top of her list of reading materials. She found a book in the Defense section that looked like a history of the First war against Voldemort that looked absolutely fascinating. Through it may have been out of date. Also a novel she had found in the fiction section that she was hoping was still there.

The chief librarian was minding the counter when Audrey walked in. Audrey thought she was a sweet looking old lady, but the image was distorted by the fact she was reading about how to break curses and taking notes on the contents. Audrey found herself thinking that she would not pity the poor sod that caused the chief librarian to lose her temper. She would not help him either, Audrey planned on just leaving the room to let the chief do with him whatever she pleased, and would privately hope that she would not be called to testify against her if such a thing occurred.

The chief looked up and Audrey stepped back for a second scared she had done something to upset her. The chief smiled and went back to her book. Audrey put her book in the drop box and walked off to find the books she was looking for.

This section of the library was quiet whenever Audrey was down here. A lot of people only came down here to do research for paperwork and the like, Audrey liked to come down to the lesser used sections for some peace and quiet before work sometimes. Now she was here to find a distraction. Preferably a four hundred page long distraction, she did not want to think about her reality. She wanted to pretend she was somewhere else entirely for as long as she could manage it. Pulling the book off the shelf Audrey began her walk to the fiction section, it was small. The only reason the Ministry had a fiction section was the librarians had fought for one a few years ago considering on the best of days their jobs were quite dull and routine. They only put books away, helped people find books, order books, and check books out. Audrey suspected they did a few other things involving books but was not sure what.

She walked back to the counter to find the chief talking with Percy. Audrey stuffed the books under her arm and tried to take refuge in the botany section, she stopped dead in her tracks when the chief librarian asked her if she needed to check out. Audrey had to admit that the chief librarian was good, very good, with really bad timing.

"Would you like to check out Miss? There's been a situation in the back and I need to go assist."

"Sure, if you're busy though, I can wait." Audrey looked at Percy who stepped back from the counter motioning for her to go ahead. Audrey noticed his hands were empty. He must have been making a return.

"How are you doing?" Percy asked as the chief began checking out the books, he sounded concerned, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine," Audrey remembered vaguely Septimus mentioning Percy had gotten him when Audrey was being taken to the Saint Mungo's. "Hey, thanks for telling the old man what happened, I don't think he would have found me otherwise." Audrey had the sudden image of Septimus walking through Diagon Alley putting up Lost Apprentice posters with a reward being a bottle of Irish whiskey. "I _know_ he wouldn't have found me."

The chief put the books on the counter with a smile and ran off to assist in controlling the situation in the back of the library. They both began to walk back to the lift. "I don't think your father would have found you either." Percy continued before Audrey could get a chance to correct him. "What were you doing down there after dark anyway?" He sounded bossy.

Audrey shrugged in response, "We were looking for someone." The less people who knew, the better, Audrey was not going to drag innocents into the mess if she could help it. Just in case things got messy.

Percy seemed concerned, "How's your friend?"

Audrey held the books a little closer to her chest, "Dead." The lift opened and Audrey stepped out to get onto another with Percy following close behind.

"I'm sorry," he said as they got into another lift. "If there's anything I can do-"

"I'll let you know." Audrey got off at the second floor and raised her hand in a half-hearted wave as the grates closed behind her, sucking in a breath as a sharp pain shot through her arm and shoulder.

Oo0Oo0

"Celeste, could I have a moment?" The Head Enforcer asked as Audrey was beginning to lose herself in the mystery of who stole the directions to the grandest treasure known to wizard kind from the London Wizarding Museum and the clever Andrea Callahan's search for the thief unaware that a betrayal from within her inner circle was fast approaching. Audrey lost her place for a moment when she looked up, surprised to see Celeste Cadwallader at all. Audrey knew where she worked, she also knew that Cadwallader was assigned to monitor Diagon Alley; this assignment hardly gave her an opportunity to come in to the Ministry. Celeste, when not looking for local scum, was either at the Sneezing Snitch prowling for information, or in her room at the Leaky Cauldron doing paperwork. Audrey's curiosity was roused.

"Of course sir," Cadwallader seemed stiffer than usual as she followed her boss into his office. Audrey blinked a couple of times and paused for a few seconds before transfiguring a quill into a glass and running up to the door and pressing the glass against the keyhole. She made a note to find some extendable ears when she could get them.

The voice of the Head Enforcer echoed through the glass. "Cadwallader, I need to discuss this unsettling murder with you. We here at the Ministry find it very disturbing that such a heinous act was committed on the watch of one of our own Enforcers. I trusted you with the responsibility and hoped that you would be successful, at the moment I am not sure what to think. This is your first assignment and I was hoping you would do better considering we don't have the forces needed to send someone more experienced and nobody else wanted the job."

_'Wanted?' _Audrey's eyes narrowed, _'What is going on in this department? I was always under the impression that employees did as they were ordered…'_

"Wanted sir?" Celeste seemed to be voicing Audrey's thoughts. "I know the Enforcers have joined with the Aurors to find Death Eater activity but that would seem to raise _necessity _of the people above the _wants_ of those in your employ." Audrey found herself respecting Cadwallader a lot more. There was a pause that made Audrey catch her breath.

"I'll forget you said that Cadwallader." The Head Enforcer said slowly anger showing in his voice. "I'll move on to the other topic I wanted to discuss with you today. How is it that you are getting this mess of information by yourself? Half of these leads hardly seem possible considering that, according to your notes, the information was found at roughly the same time. How does that work? I thought I told you that I didn't want those people organized?"

_'Bastard…'_

"They're not organized, sir. They're just nosy, curious and distrustful of the Ministry. Any trouble they get into while playing investigator is none of my concern. Most of what I hear is gossip from the local pubs. A lot of the shopkeepers and assistants like to go out and have a pint, some more than a pint but still." Audrey thought of Septimus and George and rolled her eyes. George was making noise about trying to take Septimus in a drinking contest for the esteemed title of Diagon Drunk. He was heavily intoxicated at the time and everyone else in the pub had just laughed at him.

_'…None of my concern…'_

"So you are using them for information?"

Audrey felt her jaw tighten, and her hand moved down to rest on her holster. Audrey did not appreciate being used by anybody. _'Any trouble they get into is none of my concern…' _It sounded like Cadwallader did not care as much as it seemed. Audrey wanted to hit something. Like Cadwallader's nose, though the Head Enforcer would be just as good of a target at the moment.

"What does it matter sir, I'm giving you leads that none of your other Enforcer's have given you. I'm giving you information that you can work with while the rest of your Enforcers are chasing down petty thefts, I have leads and information that look very promising. What exactly is it that you wanted to discuss with me about the manner in which I am working and getting the information you need? I see nothing wrong with these results or the method in which the information was obtained considering it seems accurate."

"It seems sloppy," Audrey swore she could hear him sweating. Cadwallader had him beat.

"Maybe it would be more to your standards sir, if you had handled procedure properly for this assignment from the beginning. All first field assignments are to be observed by a senior ranking Enforcer during the rookie's first year on the job. I have been here for three years and this is my first field assignment, you waited because I reported you to the internal commission for going at it with our secretary in the cold case cupboard." Audrey's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, Cadwallader had a pair that was for sure. "You kept me at a desk ever since until this job came up. Mark my words, sir; you will not be behind that desk forever." Audrey had a feeling Cadwallader had the rather lofty goal of being the next Head Enforcer. She was having mixed feelings; Audrey did not want a repeat of the Diagon Enforcers fiasco. It sounded like the Head Enforcer had put Cadwallader in Diagon to watch her fail, Cadwallader was not failing and it made Audrey smile.

"Cadwallader, I may not be here forever that much is guaranteed, but who would want to put you behind my desk when I'm gone? What allies you have here in the Ministry consist of people who will not have any say when the time comes for me to retire. The young up-and-comers will not have power here for another few years, true one of your friends has a bit of influence, but not enough to sway the bureaucrats ear. Besides, during your first assignment a man was murdered and the killer is still running free, if he's not caught, then your future in this office is… _questionable."_

"Efforts to find the suspect are in progress."

"How can that be if you are here, no Enforcer in the alley? You seem to be using these unorganized locals for your own agenda, the citizens of Diagon Alley would not be pleased if they discovered this, would they?"

_'No, they really wouldn't…' _Audrey thought as she pressed her ear closer to the glass. It sound like Cadwallader had lied to them from the beginning; she said that the Ministry had wanted a force of locals who knew the area and the local thugs. They were just pawns to her, if they lived or died seemed to be none of her concern. What really angered Audrey was the fact she acted like she cared while she was using them, trying to get Serena off the streets, listening to the complaints of the people and settling disputes.

Audrey leapt away from the door as Cadwallader was dismissed from the Head's office and dashed back to her seat attempting to look innocent as she buried herself back into her book. Audrey watched Cadwallader walk past the desk with a nod in Audrey's direction as she made her way back to the lift. Audrey stood and put the book in a desk drawer and followed Cadwallader into the lift.

They were alone in the silence of their own thoughts. Audrey turned to face Cadwallader cold anger reaching her voice. "What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?"

_"Any trouble they get into while playing investigator is none of my concern." _Audrey's voice had a high mocking edge to it; Cadwallader recoiled like a snake preparing to strike. "We're pawns to you right? You don't care about us; you just want to take that idiot out from behind the desk. You are using us."

Cadwallader leaned farther away from Audrey some unreadable emotion upon her face. "I'm very sorry about Russell, but if you think you are the only one feeling guilty then you are very wrong." At the last word her voice cracked with a suppressed sob and she walked quickly out of the lift.

Audrey felt guilty and pressed the button to go back up to the second floor deep in thought.

Oo0Oo0

The Sneezing Snitch's door was barred shut with a large sign proclaiming its closure for the second night in a row. The roughest crowd was not too pleased; the locals who wanted to get sloshed without being judged was begging for the door to open. "C'mon Scully, please…" One cried as he knocked on the door again. He had been to a couple of different pubs this evening and was quite intoxicated. A chair flew out of the upstairs flat and almost landed on top of the crowd. "Maybe we'll take our business elsewhere gentlemen." The crowd's voices rose as they began to talk about things that would only make sense to the intoxicated mind until a shrill voice came from behind them.

"What is going on out here?"

The crowd turned slowly and gave identical shrieks of "Mumma Scully!" and ran away from the Sneezing Snitch as fast as they could manage without tripping over one another. This left only one kneeling in front of the door banging on it slowly and steadily.

The tiny woman known as Mumma Scully stood behind the kneeling man, "I suggest you go home young man, you appear to have had too much to drink."

The man looked back at her, blinking owlishly. "But I haven't had anything to drink yet."

_**

* * *

**__**Author's Note: **I seem to have a fondness for comedic endings. But the locals seem to give me such opportunities for them so I really can't help myself._

_Yes, Audrey qualified as paranoid before Russell's murder. It has just gotten worse in the time after. I think she was rather edgy while on the run and working for the Relocation Operation, it may have also made her gray in some areas of the moral spectrum. Why do I like the gray moral area so much? _

_Not my best chapter, I think. That's just me though. _


	16. Spiral

_**Chapter Sixteen: Spiral**_

_July 7__th__ 1998_

"Package for Mister Lowell," a voice said loudly from the door to the Leaky Cauldron. "A delivery from Gringotts for Mister Lowell." It was a goblin speaking as he levitated a medium sized crate into the inn bringing much attention to himself as he did so. Audrey looked up from the table and recognized a goblin she and Septimus were on friendly terms with, if one could ever call relations with a goblin friendly. He noticed Audrey and walked over levitating the package. "Miss Causey, where's your drunk of a boss?"

"Sorry Raguk, he went out to the library. Would you like me to take this up to his room for you? I don't want you getting caught in one of his traps."

The goblin blinked looking nervous as he considered the offer. "Take it; I'll just need you to sign for it." He whipped out a piece of parchment and a quill. "Sign on the dotted line please."

Audrey signed the parchment and Raguk went back to the bank. She waved her wand bringing the package up the stairs behind her as she apologized to the people who banged their heads on the crate as a result of inattentiveness. She arrived at Septimus' room and looked at it wearily as she placed the crate next to her and rested the palm of her hand against the door closing her eyes and relaxing. She was looking for something attached to the opening of the door, Septimus was pretty powerful and one could usually tell if he had hexed something like a doorknob to explode on contact. He had done it before. Audrey had not forgotten it.

Nothing obvious, Audrey stepped back realizing this had just gotten more difficult. Taking her wand out of her pocket, Audrey tapped on the door seven times causing the door to glow a soft blue for a moment before fading just as quickly. She then reached for the doorknob slowly and opened the door wand still drawn and muttering an incantation for revealing of spells. Every other floorboard in the room lit up. Audrey winced. Septimus was always through. _Painfully_ through, she had a couple of scars to prove it.

Audrey kneeled down and wrenched a loose nail out of the floorboard beneath her, cast a couple of duplication spells on it and threw one into the center of the room where it promptly disintegrated. Audrey's eyes widened, she knew the spell, she just had to break it and make sure Septimus did not use anything else to ensure pain for anyone who tried to come in for something. She broke down his trip jinxes and then set to work dismantling his small blasting charms. Septimus was a pretty paranoid human being, but Audrey supposed he had his reasons. She was sure he had made some enemies in his lifetime. Still, that was no reason to scare off the house keeping; Audrey doubted any of them were assassins or anything of that nature.

She levitated the crate into the air as she stepped softly into the room, just waiting for something she missed to go off beneath her feet. Nothing happened after those first few tentative steps and Audrey began to walk for confidently through the room as she placed the crate on the table and examined it closely. There was a soft light coming from the inside, Audrey peered through the crack for a closer look but reeled back just as quickly. Audrey tapped the box causing it to spring open. She answered Septimus' mail most of the time and opened every letter and received package sorting in into the junk, rubbish, and useful information piles. Opening a crate was nothing new.

Audrey sucked in a breath, it was so pretty. It was a ceramic bowl with painted pictures that looked like those done by a small child around the edges. Audrey ran her hands along the edge feeling the chip that cut deeply into the side. It must have been dropped at some point. She leaned closer to the glowing material inside of the bowl and felt herself falling… falling…

Oo0Oo0

_Audrey had found herself standing in a large, expansive library. The shelves seemed to reach the ceiling and Audrey was left in awe as she looked at some of the elaborate covers, she reached out to touch them and found her hand going through the shelf. She reeled back in horror, what kind of place was this? Audrey turned to find a table with a rather handsome young man a couple of years younger than Audrey sitting at the table. _

"_I'm sorry; could you tell me where I am please?"_

_The man ignored her and continued his reading. Audrey walked closer to the table for a better look. He had black hair and a stern air about him, he seemed very familiar. Audrey walked next to the young man and peered at his face intensely. The man had a firm straight nose where a pair of glasses was resting, an average mouth, calm silver-gray eyes, and caterpillar eyebrows. The eyebrows struck a chord in Audrey's memory somewhere._

_He dipped his peacock feather quill in ink well and began to take notes. Audrey leaned over for a better look, he appeared to be doing a paper on Arithmancy. It looked like a difficult problem, but it looked like the young man almost had it solved. He smiled as he reached the final answer of seven._

"_My favorite number," the man said quietly, his voice sounded familiar also._

"_Septimus?" Audrey reached out to put a hand on his shoulder and found it go right through him. The image of what the young Septimus would look like years from now filled her mind. "Well, boss I guess you didn't age to gracefully." Young Septimus continued working. "I guess you can't hear me then." She looked at the date of the paper. "1943!"_

_Footsteps sounded behind her. "Pius, Father wants to see you." It was a little boy who looked to be about four or five years old._

"_The study again, Amatus?"_

_The little boy nodded as Septimus, or Pius, (whoever he was), rose from his chair and tucked his book under his arm and fixed his glasses before picking up the parchment and tucking it into his robes. Audrey followed him out of the library and down a long corridor only populated by a couple of house elves who bowed as he passed. She matched him step for step before he arrived at a large oak door. Audrey shivered; Pius raised his hand and knocked._

"_Come in."The voice sounded commanding. Pius did as he was ordered and walked inside. _

_The study was similar to the library with the many books; except for the fact Audrey thought it was a little too dark and drab for reading. Pius seemed to share her opinion as he lit a few of the nearby candles on his way to the desk and glanced around the room in disgust. "You wanted to see me father?"_

"_Yes, I wanted to speak to you about something important." The man looked very official as he leaned over the desk to take a better look at his son, and Audrey could see the family resemblance. Pius would look very much like his father years down the line. "Let's talk about your future."_

_Pius looked disgruntled, "Not this again. We have had the same conversation for years."_

"_Pius," the man's tone of voice was a harsh warning. Pius quickly grew silent as his hand rested on his pocket. "Now, as you know from your studies into wizarding genealogy, we are from an old powerful family." As the older man turned to face the curtained windows, Pius began mouthing along with each word he said with a sarcastic finger movement. "As purebloods it should be our rightful place as leaders in our world. To lead muggles and those of lesser blood to greatness and glory under the rule of purebloods like ourselves. As Pius Sebastian Selwyn, my eldest son and heir, you will learn the family business-"_

"_Of philanthropy, and Ministry arse-kissing," Pius murmured to Audrey's hearing. Audrey giggled._

"_Of being a man of business within the Ministry," Mr. Selwyn finished. He turned to face his eldest son, who straightened up in what appeared to Audrey as less than a second. "You will accompany me tomorrow." Pius grew rigid. "We will be there by eight. Are we clear Pius?"_

"_Yes sir," Audrey knew that look, it was one of displeasure. Mr. Selwyn appeared not to notice as he sat down at the desk to continue working._

_The memory swirled and disappeared until Audrey found herself someplace familiar. The second floor of the Ministry which was apparently all these years ago was still focused on Law Enforcement. Though her they seemed rushed and worried, perhaps because this was the time when Grindelwald was in power. He would not be defeated for another couple of years, funny how wizarding and muggle wars seemed to coincide. Audrey had wondered how that worked. _

_She was walking beside Pius who was following his father looking bored out of his mind. His expression was completely blank except for the occasions when Audrey caught his eyes moving towards the ceiling as his father stopped to talk to a high ranking official whose portrait Audrey had seen around the Ministry in her time._

"…_And Grindelwald's forces are here," THWACK! "Here," THWACK! "And let's not forget Holland this time." THWACK!_

_Pius turned his attention to the cubicle where the small group of Aurors was meeting looking very interested, far more interested than he was in his father's pledging of monetary support to a re-election campaign. Pius looked calculating as he examined the map that was covered in multicolored pins. He tilted his head a bit and looked at the aurors with interest._

"_Pius!"Mr. Selwyn called, dragging Audrey and Pius from the discussion about the war. "There's a warlock on the Wizengamot I want you to meet before we leave today." Pius cringed. _

Oo0Oo0

"_I'm late! Newbrook's going to kill me!" _

_Audrey suddenly found herself dropped into another scene that seemed eerily familiar. Diagon Alley was nearly deserted despite it being nearly the middle of the afternoon. Pius was running at a pace that Audrey had never associated with him before and was struggling to keep up with him. He turned quickly and bounded up the steps of a rather rundown boarding house on a section of the street that Audrey could associate quite easily with the present era. Audrey followed Pius inside._

_The main floor that would become the Septenary's sales floor was bare except for the fireplace and the soft comfortable looking chairs around it. There were paintings and portraits that were admonishing Pius for his tardiness as he took the stairs three at a time. He bypassed the kitchen which Audrey could smell something warm and fragrant cooking. _

"_Biscuits? Really Septimus, you can't stop for a biscuit?" Audrey's stomach rumbled loudly. "I'm hungry." She continued following Pius up the stairs until he reached a room that years' from now would be Audrey's and opened the door with a bang. Half of the occupants stood wand drawn and ready, other began packing up an assortment of maps and charts. They lowered their wands once they realized who it was._

"_Selwyn, I thought I told you not to be late." The voice came from a rather weedy looking man who was one of those who had drawn their wands. He had large bulbous eyes that seemed to protrude from his face. "It's highly inconvenient."_

_This was the first time Audrey had ever seen Septimus resembling anything close to cowed. "I'm sorry Mr. Newbrook; my father dragged me off to the Ministry to kiss the arses of high-ranking officials." Some of the meetings attendees laughed other rolled their eyes. Pius began digging around inside his robes. "Perhaps this will make up for my tardiness."He pulled out a piece of parchment that was covered in names that Audrey recognized as those of notable purebloods and some whose descendants would become Death Eaters. "On this list are names of those who are supporting Grindalwald's efforts for domination over the muggles. I can personally confirm each person's degree of involvement considering my mother had them over for tea the other day."_

_One of the women at the table laughed, "Is the _charming_ Mrs. Selwyn trying to find a suitable match for her eldest son?"_

_Pius scowled as one of the men joined in. "Oh, Tabby, Mrs. Selwyn may be charming, but I really can't say the same for her eldest son." _

"_Shut it!" Pius snapped as he went a bright shade of red that caused everyone else to laugh. _

Oo0Oo0

_The soft laugh of a young woman filled Audrey's ears before the swirl of colors came into focus. She was pretty, slender with a round pleasant face, her sandy blonde hair in a long braid down her back, "Laurel made that for you, what do you think?"_

"_It's cute, now I just need to think of something to use it for. How about a table center piece, Kitty?" Pius looked happy, and acted a little more tired than a man his age had any right to, but he looked very happy. The kind of happiness that grew from the inside. It was disturbing. _

_Audrey's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, this was Kitty? _

"_Why not just use it for decoration?" Kitty giggled. "Put it on the mantle, maybe?"_

"_No, no, everything can be used for something. I always like to see my gifts used." Pius stopped and took Kitty's hand in his and leaned in closer. "You look beautiful tonight."_

_Audrey mimed gagging, though she had heard worse pick-up lines. There was another sound from behind Audrey, it sounded like a little girl making noises of disgust. "Eww." She was a cute little thing, dark hair and big brown eyes. _

"_Laurel, sweetie, I thought you were asleep."_

"_Couldn't sleep, can I stay up with you and dad. Pretty please?" She wore the smile of a small child trying to get her way. Judging by the look on Pius' face it seemed to be working. Kitty seemed to be sterner._

"_Laurel, it's past your bedtime," Kitty said as she rose from the couch. "Come on." Kitty took her hand led her to the back of the house where the bedrooms must have been located. Pius watched them walk away with a smile as he held the same bowl that was in the crate in his hands. _

_Everything suddenly began to spiral and a scream echoed through the memory. The Dark Mark was over the pleasant looking home that Audrey had just been inside of. Pius was being restrained by a couple of Aurors who were telling him to get back and stay where it was. Audrey felt herself begin to tremble. It was so vivid._

"_My wife and daughter are in there! Let me go, Warren!"Pius shouted as he struggled to get out of the burly man's grip. "Kitty, Laurel!" He managed to break out of Warren's grip and tried to run forward, but his leg gave out from under him and he fell into the dirt. He grabbed his cane off the ground next to him and tried again but was stopped by Warren. Pius smacked him in the head with his cane and rushed towards his home. Audrey felt herself getting pulled along._

_The next image was of Pius bent over his wife and daughter's body's holding their hands and sobbing uncontrollably. _

Suddenly, this wasn't fun anymore…

_The scene was something that seemed far more modern then the past memories Audrey had seen. They were standing in the hall on the second floor where Law Enforcement was housed within the Ministry. Audrey was standing behind Septimus as he had cornered a rather burly man against the wall. This seemed more like the Septimus she knew, walking stick, flask of whiskey hanging off his belt and shaggy looking grey hair. He was swaying back and forth on the balls of his feet appearing intoxicated. Audrey was sure he was._

"_I got this letter yesterday ev'ning, it seems ta be under the impression t'at you're closing my case." He swaggered as a crowd gathered around them. One of the Enforcers stepped forward and the man Septimus had cornered shook his head and waved him back. The Enforcer complied._

"_Be reasonable Pius," The man said calmly as Septimus lifted his walking stick and rested the end of it next to the man's head. Audrey could see the man sweating. _

_"Not Pius Selwyn, never Pius Selwyn. That man is dead. I'm Septimus Lowell now."_

"_Right, right, I forgot about that. We don't have the man power to go after every twenty year old cold case involving a muggle woman and a child. Nearly all of the suspects in your family's murder are dead, now step back please."_

_Septimus complied, "Not all of'em are dead. I told ya, that it was my _family_ doing some pruning of the family tree." He stepped back head down and walking stick helping to hold him upright, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He turned his back to the man he had been intimidating. The man relaxed for a moment his motions to his fellows seeming to be ones saying he was fine, until Septimus whipped himself around and punched the man in the face. He was struck so hard his head bounced off the wall behind him._

_Audrey cringed. She turned away from the sight to see a boy with bright red hair and glasses watching the scene with an inquisitive look, Septimus looked at him as the crowd rushed to the aid of the bleeding man on the floor. "The hell are ya lookin' at boy. Get lost." The boy staggered back and took off down the hall looking scared, Septimus rolled his eyes, "Future bureaucrat that one." _

The scene faded as Audrey felt herself roughly being pulled out of the bowl. She staggered back to find Septimus looking livid, Audrey felt her back against the bedpost. She knew things now that disturbed and frightened her. Kitty was his wife, and he had a daughter named Laurel. Both were murdered and the case had grown cold. That look in his eyes was an unnatural anger. Audrey hoped she would never see it again.

"Whatever you saw in there, forget all about it, it does not concern you. Now get out!" He was breathing heavily and gripping his cane so hard his knuckles were turning white.

Audrey stepped back towards the door slowly, "Why didn't you tell us, we could have-"

"Could have done what? It was before your time." He walked forward until he stood only a couple of inches away from Audrey. "Not a word, not a word to anyone, is that clear?"

Audrey nodded, never feeling more scared of Septimus then she had in that moment. "N-not a word, sir." She took a step back.

"I don't want to see you, I don't want you around, is that clear."

Audrey started to tremble, her eyes wide. She ran from the room.

_**

* * *

**_

Author's Note:

_And everything goes downhill from here folks. _

_Yes, that little boy that Septimus told to get lost was definitely Weatherby on bring your kids to work day. I had to do it, opportunity and all of that jazz. _


	17. Advice

_**Chapter Seventeen: Advice**_

_July 9__th__ 1998_

Serena Scoresby rarely sat around and moped. She thought it was rather disgusting that other girls her age would do such a thing for meager things like shoes. Serena actually moped about bigger problems. A couple of weeks ago she had been forced to move due to that nosy Causey person and that string bean ginger hanging around in front of her hideout. It was better to leave, they knew where she was. Grabbing her few possessions, Serena made her way into the back of Knockturn Alley behind a creepy restaurant and created a temporary shelter in a wooden crate.

Exploring the area had led Serena to a couple of other thieves like her who thought she was harmless and stupid and began to brag about all of the best places to pick pockets. Serena thought they were stupid for telling her those things. Now all of the items she had stolen were sold to a local pawn shop to buy some clothes and food or traded for some small butterfly knives that she was throwing against a crate for target practice. Serena thought that she did not need a wand to be dangerous, everyone carried a wand and would expect one to be used. Throwing knives on the other hand…

She fingered the pocket watch she was wearing around her neck; it was the same one she had snatched from the string bean ginger. It had too much use at the moment to sell; she liked knowing what time it was, it made committing her crimes easier if she knew the times when the rush hour crowds came into town. The necklace she was wearing was a very deceiving piece. The charm at the end was the hilt of a small poisoned knife.

There were only a few more days until her plan would be put into action. Sergius Slone was going to pay with his life.

Blood for blood. Murder for murder.

Oo0Oo0

For two days Lucia had watched her family network split and begin to simultaneously go down in flames. It was strange and horrifying. Uncle Septimus was not speaking to Audrey, which was just weird to begin with, he always liked to talk with her. Audrey had grown melancholy and slightly depressed, she just was not as lively, and Lucia doubted that all of it had to do with Russell's death. The delicate threads of this fire-forged clan were beginning to unravel, and all Lucia could do was watch.

"Got any sevens?" Cappie asked from across the table, the cards fanned in front of his face obscuring his mouth and the brim of his hat hiding his eyes. Creepy child.

Lucia sighed, "Cappie, for the thousandth time, we are not playing Go Fish; I am trying to teach you how to play poker, a man's card game."

"I'm ten, and Audie said she thinks I'm too young to gamble. Also that if you try to teach me then I'm supposed to tell her so she can burn your books."

"I have a seven…" Lucia mumbled as she gave Cappie the card. "Now, do you have any fours?"

"Go fish," Cappie said and he matched one new pair of sevens in front of him. Unaware that Fowler was watching the game with interest and looking at Cappie's hand.

"You little hustler," Fowler said flatly causing Cappie to jump. "You just can't help yourself can you?"

Lucia looked stunned, "Cheating at Go Fish, really Cappie?"

"Hey, I got money riding on this game." Cappie pointed at the small pile of money sitting next to the deck in the center of the table.

"So do I!"

"I'm broke."

"So am I!"

Oo0Oo0

While Cappie and Lucia bickered and gambled over a children's card game, Audrey found herself walking through Diagon Alley. She was thinking, not an uncommon occurrence, but wandering idly seemed to be a new habit. There seemed to be more interesting things going on around Diagon Alley by the day. Lucia and Audrey were taking a stroll after staying late at work for a physical the other day and had found a crowd hurrying into the nearest shop to escape from a voice coming from the Wheeze's upstairs flat. It was rough, scratchy, and seemed to have the ability to shatter glass if put to the proper use. Or George was experimenting by shoving a frog into a muggle blender. Lucia said it sounded like a Hypogriff's mating call. It did not matter in the long run; they ended their walk immediately after that. Discovering later that evening from a rather intoxicated George that Percy had barrowed his shower because his hot water was not working at his flat. Audrey prayed the singing in the shower bit was a rare occurrence.

Audrey's eye twitched at the recollection. 'My Bewitching Girl' was not something to be sung while sober, it was all over the wireless, but to Audrey it sounded more like a late night pub song.

Continuing her idle plan free walk, Audrey found a familiar figure bartering with one of the stall keepers over a couple of items. She had seen him earlier that day with the dark haired woman Audrey had seen in the library a few weeks ago in the lift. Just talking.

"_This whole establishment is a mess don't you think?" Audrey heard the woman say smoothly as she leaned against the wall of the lift and filled through some papers. "This is the third time today that I've had to hand deliver important messages to the intended floor. It is a real waste of time."_

_"I agree, though I have only had that happen to me once today. Mostly I get letters that include curses and threatening messages." Percy shuddered, "The last one spontaneously combusted." He looked at the tips of his fingers which looked to be a bit singed._

_Audrey walked into the lift with a smile as she looked at the woman wearily. She was very familiar, like Audrey had seen her more than once. Audrey's eyes widened with the realization. This was the lady who was working with the masked man._

_She spared no words for either Percy or the woman and got out of the lift to take the stairs all the way down to the library back entrance. Seven flights of stairs._

Audrey walked over and watched the haggling continue over a set of law books and a twenty-four case of sober-up. "I will not pay a knut over the galleon and three sickles that I have offered for the sober-up. I'll pay your price for the law books."

"Two galleons and three sickles for the sober-up at least, this stuff is stronger then anything the Apothecary can brew." The stall-keep said sternly as his brow became dotted with sweat. Audrey suppressed a smirk; this was one of the toughest dealmakers in the Alley. Most people who haggled with him just gave up and paid full price. This must have been going on for a while if he was starting to get anxious.

"I'll raise you two sickles."

"Deal." He gave him the goods, "Get lost."

"Thank you." Audrey giggled, catching his attention. "Hello Audrey."

"Hello Percy, how are you?"

"Fine, fine." He smiled and they started walking down the street. "Yourself?"

"Good," Audrey kept staring at the ground. She needed a distraction, she wanted him to keep talking, and she did not care what he would talk about. Percy started talking about work. She smiled; she recognized that same passion, (or obsession), she had for her own work back at the shop. If Audrey had her way the Septenary would be rebuilt as soon as possible, though work seemed unlikely to begin on reconstruction until this time next year. Her fists clenched, she would love to find the man who had burned down her shop during the riot.

She never noticed Percy had stopped talking about work and was looking at her with concern. "How's your father?"

It took a moment for Audrey to comprehend who he was talking about. She thought he was talking about Aran Causey for a moment. "Oh, you mean Septimus. He's not my father."

Percy looked confused. "What?"

"Old bloke, usually drunk, thick eyebrows, not my father." The corners of Audrey's mouth turned upwards as she took in his still confused expression. Why was she getting so much enjoyment out of that look? "My father walked out when I was a kid and my grandparents raised me, so I really have no idea how my father is."

"I thought…" He trailed off.

"He's my," Audrey struggled momentarily for the right word, "Mentor. Before I started working for the Ministry, I was apprenticed to Mister Lowell at his shop. I ran the bookshop while he researched an origin of magical power. I studied in the evenings; it was part of my contract for a seven year apprenticeship." Audrey's smiled widened, "I love what I did, and I can't wait until I can get back to it full time."

Percy looked uncomfortable. Audrey could not understand why. It seemed perfectly normal to her. "How's Mister Lowell then?"

Audrey shrugged and looked at her feet. She opened and closed her mouth like some kind of fish. "We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment." The urge to just tell the whole story was very strong, but Audrey bit her tongue. She was not going to get into the old man's personal business. That was what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. "I got nosy and might have gotten into something I shouldn't have." Understatement. A complete understatement.

"Maybe you should apologize," he said as they stopped at one of the fruit stands.

Audrey smiled, "He won't even look at me. He just ignores me. I think he's just trying to sort things out."

"What exactly did you get into?"

"I can't tell you, it's a top secret thing that I'm not able to tell you about." Percy looked a little closer. "Researcher stuff. I guess you're right though, I'll just have to sit the old man down and apologize." Audrey thought privately she was going to have to bribe him with alcohol. "I gotta go, I'll talk to you later!"

Oo0Oo0

The Sneezing Stitch's walls seemed to shake with the noise from its usual crowd. Audrey did not drink often, a complete inability to hold her liquor was the main reason. Fear of ending up like Septimus and George was another. She could say she had been sloshed once or twice during her lifetime. The time she could remember most vividly was when Septimus took her out for a drink over New Years. Audrey could not remember what he had bought her, but she remembered waking up on the floor of the shop at the foot of the stairs. Her shoes and socks were nowhere to be found.

She clutched the glass tightly and looked the foam at the top of the glass. Septimus was hardly in an apology receiving mood and had blown her off by going back to the kitchen to wash his glasses under Hannah's watchful eyes. He had gotten a bit rude and had told her to bugger off and Audrey had slipped off to the Sneezing Snitch to do something she rarely did in peace. She looked over to the barstool next to her and recognized the face quickly.

"My arse of a brother should be 'ere any minute."

Audrey's eyes narrowed, she knew better then to argue with drunks bigger then she was who seemed to have the devil's luck, but she could not help herself. "Hey, leave him alone. What did he do you?"

"Ya don't know wha' he did, do ya? Wouldn't be tellin' me ta lay off if ya did. He deserves it, ya know."

Audrey looked at George curiously, leaning away from him as far as she could manage. She had seen him throw punches at people before and the few that collided looked like they really hurt. "What did he do?" She was keeping her hand on her wand as a precaution, though if he threw the first punch, she could probably kick the stool out from under him.

"He walked out for his job, lef' the family for his job." He was swaying back and forth on the barstool as he rested his elbow on the bar. "Everythin' for his job. On'y comes back when it would look bes' for 'im. Oi, Scully! Anotha one on ta rocks!"

Audrey's eyes grew wider as her mouth opened in a perfect o, who would leave their family over something like that? Audrey thought he was very nice, she hardly thought he was capable of something so coldhearted. Like her father…

"Everythin's 'is fault. 'E was standing right next ta Fred when 'e... died. Didn't do a 'hing to save him."

Audrey had never slapped anyone before, but she did slap George. She leapt off the chair fully expecting retaliation with her wand in her hand. He was bigger than she was and she did not intend to go back to Saint Mungo's or explain to Lucia how she had instigated a brawl at the Sneezing Snitch and or who had blacked her eye.

Suddenly the Sneezing Snitch began their nightly brawl and Audrey dove behind the bar as a chair flew over her head. Sebastian Harper, the Sneezing Snitch's pianist, sped up the piano piece he was playing to create appropriate music for them to fight to.

Beethoven had never sounded so jazzy.

Oo0Oo0

_**Author's Note:**__. I am anticipating an event involving the loss of the computer. I won't be getting into that just yet, but if I disappear suddenly then I promise this story will be finished as soon as circumstances allow. _

_I'd say around three more chapters. Long chapters, so hang on tight._

_Why on earth does writing Serena give me a big smile and a darkly joyful feeling?_

_Onto happier thoughts, favorite scene? Favorite moment? I am now holding an open guess for the identity for the man in the mask. His real name has been used during the course of this fic at some point. You don't have to start guessing now, just start thinking about it._

_Review! _


	18. Pieces in Place

_**Chapter Eighteen: Pieces In Place**_

_July 11__th__ 1998_

Serena Scoresby did not feel scared as she entered the code to enter the Ministry through the visitor's entrance. She kept her head raised high and her hand resting comfortably on one of her knives until she took a deep breath and rested her hands at her sides. She had to appear like a normal little girl, one who was looking for the Floo Regulations department so she could find her mother. Her mother's murderer actually.

As she took in the sight of the Atrium she sucked in a breath. It was a beautiful structure. Cappie's parents worked here? Serena found it difficult to believe that anybody could work in a building like this. Her mother's print shop was dingy at the best of times and a layer of dust had to cover everything before anything got cleaned. Serena remembered hand washing a vase her mother had gotten from her grandmother years ago. Serena polished it until she could see every freckle on her nose. The tiled floor here in the Atrium was just as clean as that vase.

She looked down and smiled at her reflection as she pinned the badge that read, 'Serena Scoresby: Assassin' to the front of her robes. Serena then though the better of it and put it into her pocket. Besides, she did not want anything to obscure the pretty design on her new robes. Cappie told her she needed to dress up a bit, and bathe so she would blend in with the other children visitors. It was a pretty thing, and Serena being clean and washed felt very pretty for the first time in months. She was glad Cappie had let her use a shower at the Leaky Cauldron yesterday while the adults were off working. Serena smiled and fingered her long blonde braid and fixed her hair shyly. She had done it herself, and was hoping she still looked nice.

Serena shook her head her braid smacking her in the face. What was wrong with her? One bath, some pretty clothes, and a nice hairstyle and she turns into a _girl?_ She was always proud of being a tough little tomboy, but this was stupid. Serena Scoresby was here to kill a man and no pretty clothes were going to change her mind.

The mangled statue in the middle of the fountain caught her attention. Serena wondered what happened to it as she examined it closely for a moment before focusing her attention on the task at hand. She found her way into a large crowd that was passing the security desk and found her way into the lift.

Oo0Oo0

"Oh Audrey, your brother's so cute!"

"I'm glad you brought him in, most of our department's children had outgrown this."

"My Eddie told me he was too old just last week. He's Cappie's age!"

"Oh Betty, they grow up so fast don't they?"

The woman named Betty began to cry while the other woman surrounding Cappie made crooning noises at her and continued pinching Cappie's cheeks as he sat on their coffee table.

"Oh look at his pudgy cheeks! That's so cute!"

Audrey laughed nervously as she leaned against the wall and watched Cappie get poked, prodded, and pinched by a good portion of the female half of the security department. Cappie was taking it all in stride and seemed to enjoy everything but the cheek pinching. He took it like a champ though. Audrey walked down to the locker room trusting that Cappie would be safe in their hands while she put her uniform on.

The only other person down in the locker room was Lucia who was unhooking the top couple of clasps at the top of her robes and fixing her make-up in the mirror. She gave Audrey a smile as she applied her lip gloss. "How Cappie doing up there?"

"Fine, they seem to have taken a liking to him." Audrey said as she put her robe on over her top and found her regulation trousers to wear under them. Dawson did not care about shoes so her boots stayed. Audrey fixed the holster around her leg and looked in the mirror for a moment. She stood and turned to face different angles and examined her figure closely. She could stand to gain a few pounds. She pulled her robes a little closer to her frame.

"Aud, stop you're A-cup angst and come on!" Lucia said loudly causing Audrey to jump and fall back onto the bench behind her. "We are going to the library! So grab the kid and let's go!" Audrey grabbed her trench coat in case it was cold in the library and followed.

It took five minutes to pry Cappie away from those who were reminiscing about how much Cappie reminded them of their own children, and to actually get down to the library. They passed parents holding their children's hands and patiently answering questions about the work they did. Cappie's eyes wandered over the melted statue, "What happened to that?" The artist who had been hired to create a new piece for the Fountain of Magical Brethren gave the three of them a cold look. Audrey presumed he had just lost his train of thought. Audrey looked up at the ceiling trying to look innocent. Cappie caught on. "You know what happened to it don't you?"

"Yeah, so what if I do?" Audrey replied as they continued to the lift down to the library.

"Could you tell me? Pretty please!"

"When you're older."

Cappie was quiet for a moment, "I'm older now!"

Audrey smacked the back of his head gently. "Don't get smart with me."

Lucia laughed as they stepped into the lift and began to descend to the library achieves. Cappie fell over when the lift stopped with a sudden jerk forward, Audrey and Lucia were used to it by this point. They both leaned down and pulled him to his feet with a laugh. Cappie smiled sheepishly as he followed Lucia and Audrey to the desk they had been assigned.

"You're still not gonna tell me what happened to it?" Cappie asked as he leaned over the desk and looked at them both closely.

Audrey hid her face in her hands shaking her head slowly, "Drop it."

Cappie was silent.

Audrey may not have wanted Cappie to fully understand what had fully gone on during the war and what his parents had done to preserve innocent lives. Martin and Adamina Garland, along with Nolan Odell had perished in their burning headquarters when Haven was found by Death Eaters. Septimus did not like bothering with a secret-keeper; they had just surrounded the place with security charms, easier to take in muggle-borns who had found their way there on their own from other stations, though most of the time they would be picked up by one of the seven.

She thought he did not really need to know about any of the events that transpired afterwards either. How could she describe the terror of not having a wand until the boy had one to lose himself? The dark, hopelessness of being taken to court and having Dementors swarming around with a mad old bird laughing in enjoyment of one's suffering and the idea of her and John's loss of their souls? Though their escape was a tale to tell, she had heard it referenced by people who had heard about it from someone who was there, though they dismissed it as a myth. Audrey felt that he would never understand the desperation they had felt until he could understand the events that had let them to such a place. Audrey hated the Ministry for letting such things happen with no effort to stop it; this whole place could burn for all Audrey cared, just as long as she could light the match.

Cappie soon grew bored and began to wander through the shelves of the large, extensive collection of books, picking out titles with such care that Audrey thought for that alone he should go to Ravenclaw. Audrey knew Cappie was smart, misguided maybe, but bright enough to do something good with his life. Audrey was going to make sure he did, maybe she could get him into the Research field.

She watched as Cappie was approached by the Chief Librarian and she began to get him into conversation about his schooling and lead him to a small section on basic magic. Audrey giggled as Cappie began talking rapidly and enthusiastically to the little old woman who seemed to be keeping up with remarkable ease. Audrey adjusted the coat on the back of her chair and gave in to Lucia's coxing of a card game.

The game was interrupted by a thundering sound coming from the Atrium above them a few minutes later. Audrey and Lucia looked up, shrugged and continued the game until a loud crash caused them both to throw their cards into the air at the sound of someone screaming. Audrey was the first to her feet with her wand in her hand and was pointing it at the lift grate, her breathing shallow. The only thing she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears.

_Ba-bump_

The grates were opening. Audrey tightened her grip on her wand ready to stun.

_Ba-bump_

A man hit the floor with the usual jerk from the lift. Audrey put her wand back in the holster; she took it out just as quickly as the man began to babble incoherently about security needing to round up employees. Audrey raised an eyebrow and kneeled down to his level. He took a deep breath and began to explain again, he never got the opportunity. The lift opened again and another man walked in with his wand drawn and pointed it between Audrey's eyes.

_Ba-thump_

"Drop your wand," he said as he took a step closer towards Audrey to help make his point. From Audrey's perspective he was doing a good job. Lucia drew her wand and the man blasted it out of her hands and stunned her. She hit the ground with a resounding _thud_. Audrey raised her wand and the man knocked it out if her hands before stunning her as well. Audrey realized quickly as the rest of the staff was rounded up, that when the only part of one's body that one could move was their eyes, life got pretty boring.

The Chief librarian was watching the hooded man with hawkish eyes as she kept the more nervous members of her staff behind her. The man had put the acquired wands in his robes; Audrey had seen him put hers and Lucia's in the right sleeve of his robes. He revived the stunned and forced them into the back office where the Chief was stationed, wand drawn on the three librarians on duty who were being protected by the chief. Cappie was not there and for that Audrey was grateful. This man was outnumbered, but nobody was going to risk someone's life needlessly.

The man who had come down out of the lift was standing next to Audrey. He had finally caught his breath and was whispering rapidly into Audrey's ear. "I don't know how they got in, communications have been shut down, so I've been sent to tell you lot that we are getting employees into the Security headquarters in the Atrium or into safe areas on other floors."

"Hm…" Was Audrey's only response as she watched the hooded man carefully, eyes moving between him and Lucia who was watching him also, Audrey then jabbed the messenger in the ribs with her elbow to keep his attention. She met Lucia's eyes as the hooded man kept his back to them, didn't most people watch the hostages? It was like he was waiting for someone or for orders of some sort. Audrey had no intention of becoming a bargaining tool. She gave Lucia the hand sign for charge, leapt to her feet and rammed into his back, the captor's head banging against the door. Lucia gave a loud battle cry as the man straightened himself and knocked Audrey to the floor and pointed his wand at her. There was a loud crack and a shout of pain and the man's elbow was bent at an unnatural angle. Audrey kicked his feet out from under him and began taking the wands and throwing them at the crowd behind her before tying him up with a quick swish of her wand and depositing him in the corner of the office.

"Alright, what's the plan Aud?" Lucia asked as she kneeled down and put a silencing spell on their former captor.

The last place Audrey wanted to be was in charge, she never saw herself as a leader. She was content to take orders given as long as they were given by someone she trusted not to get her killed and who had a good grasp on the situation. She looked at the messenger and raised an eyebrow.

"We really only have one option now that the library has been breached, we need to regroup in the security station in the Atrium. There will be more people there and it seems the easiest place to defend and escape if need be." The messenger explained as he straightened the collar of his robes.

The chief librarian put her hands on her hips and gave the messenger a look that seemed to have been in use for decades. "And what if we do not want to take part in this silly venture? We need to stay and protect the collection."

"Be reasonable Madam Higgins, three librarians currently on staff and yourself of course, if invaded by these people you don't have a chance."

Chief Librarian Marion Higgins' scowl deepened and the man took a step back. "My job is to take care of and protect this library and its contents. There are valuable books here, and I need to protect them. My staff has the choice to stay or go; it's their choice I will not make it for them. The library is an independent department; we take no orders from any of the other Ministry departments. Are we clear?"

The messenger nodded rapidly.

"Good," she turned to the librarians. "Would you like to stay and protect the collection or go to safety?"

A small, stoat librarian stepped forward. "No choice at all Master Chief. We're staying with you. What do you want moved first?"

"Most of the dangerous stuff is indisposed on the lower level still under protection from the war that we have not gotten around to yet. All that really needs to be done is moving some sections down there, redoing the security, and securing the premises." The chief smiled, "We're going to do this as quickly as we can, and you all know the drill so hop to it." The librarians all moved out the door as quickly as they were able. "I will see you all later then." The chief smiled and followed her staff to the library, "Oh, one more thing." She poked her head through the door frame, "Feel free to leave that poor bloke here. He seems to add to the décor." Marion Higgins smile widened and she winked at them and took off once more. Audrey could not help but think that this was one scary librarian.

"May I never be on Marion Higgins bad side…" Audrey muttered as she followed Lucia out the door. She walked faster when she realized that Cappie had never been brought into the office. Leaving Lucia to get them organized and to get more information from the messenger, Audrey walked past the shelves peering down them looking for the boy and calling his name. "Cappie! Cappie Garland!" Audrey called quietly as she looked down the defense section. "David Martin Garland, come out this instant!"

"That you Audie?" A voice sounded from one of the bookshelves above Audrey's head. Audrey looked up to find the boy perched at the top of a bookshelf. Audrey did not bother asking how he had gotten up there. Cappie tended to get into things he was not supposed to. "Madam Higgins got me up here; can you get me down please?"

Oo0Oo0

The lift grates opened into the empty Atrium. Audrey peered around corners with her wand drawn ready to fire. Cappie was right behind her holding on to the back of Audrey's trench coat tightly. It looked clear, Audrey waved them on they took off at a run to the door down to the entrance to the main security office. The only person in the Atrium was the obsessed artist who was continuing to take measurements and mold the gold into a statue for the new era. Artists were weird.

The space in the security office was packed with people; most of the people there were not security just people who had been rounded up on their way to work. Audrey looked at them for a moment and began searching the crowd for Dawson. She found him talking with a tall, balding, redheaded man who was looking back and forth from Dawson to the door. They were talking in hushed voices. Audrey stood off to the side and listened to the conversation.

"Look, we don't have the man power to go up there and rescue a few of Minister Shaklebolt's direct underlings. My focus is on getting as many children and employees out as I can in a short amount of time." Dawson paused, "I am very sorry about your son but it's out of my hands. Maybe my staff holed them up in some cubicle."

"If you don't have the man power then let me go up. I don't need anyone to go with me." The man pleaded and Audrey felt sorry for him. A plan began to form in the back of her mind. "Please!"

Dawson looked at the floor for a moment before he got stern. "Drop it, I've told you that there is nothing I can do. That golden masked fellow you saw on the way down may not even be going to the top floor, all the good information is on the second floor." Dawson paused, "The Aurors and the Enforcers are out checking leads for a Dark Wizard stronghold. Even the apprentices are gone and that leaves everyone's safety to me."

'_Man in a mask…' _Audrey felt the air leave her lungs and her knees begin to shake for a moment. She pulled herself together quickly. The plan began to take root; Audrey wanted the masked man to suffer. Audrey wanted to kill him herself, this was not a job for Aurors or Enforcers, and this was personal. She would have no choice but to bring the man talking to Dawson. He would probably know the layout of the upper floors better then she and Lucia would. Besides, two would hardly stand a chance in an ambush. Three was always a good number to have with its magical properties. _'Dawson does not need to know…'_

Before she could go anywhere, Audrey needed to send Cappie back to the Diagon Alley where he would be safe just in case something happened. Then to tell Lucia about her plan and what she had heard… Audrey backed away from the men to find either one. Audrey hated talking to strangers alone.

It did not take her to long to find Cappie leaning calmly against the wall watching the crowd. Audrey walked over and stood next to him. "Hey Caps, I'm going to send you back to the Alley now because I think things are going to get messy." Cappie opened his mouth to respond, but Audrey cut him off. "The man with the golden mask is upstairs. And I don't want you getting hurt." She put a hand on his shoulder and led him to a nearby fireplace in Dawson's office.

"You'll be okay right? You won't go after him?"

"Yeah, I promise." Audrey smiled and gives him the floo powder. Cappie looked back at her as he called his destination and disappeared into a flash of flames.

She stood and found Lucia quickly, she was talking to Walker. Audrey pulled her aside and told her what was going on. Lucia smiled, "Sounds like fun, so let's get going." They found the man who was lurking by the door seeming to be waiting on a chance to slip out. Lucia tapped him on the shoulder causing him to jump into the air. "My friend here heard about your problem and we want to help. You want to get your kid; we want the man in the mask. We can help each other." Lucia smiled and Audrey surveyed the deal from behind her. "Are you interested?"

"Yes."

"Good, then my name Lucia Selwyn," Audrey noticed the man flinch back a bit, Lucia did not seem to notice. "The quiet one is Audrey Causey. And who are you exactly?"

"Arthur Weasley."

Audrey smiled, she was finally going to get the masked man, and he was going to pay.

_**

* * *

**__And here we go._

Author's Note:


	19. Rescue

_**Chapter Nineteen: Rescue**_

_July 11__th__ 1998_

A whoosh from the fireplace was nothing new in Diagon Alley's Leaky Cauldron. As a result, nobody really looked at Cappie as he ran out of the fireplace and towards the bar. They took notice when he started shouting. "Septimus! Septimus!" There was a crowd gathered at the Leaky Cauldron that day to listen to the Wimbledon Wasps thrash the Chudley Cannons in Qudditch on the wireless. Every time that the Wasps scored on the Cannons everyone would take a drink. Most of the patrons were pretty intoxicated by this point.

Cappie pushed his way through the crowd still shouting for the old man. It was noisy and someone had accidentally knocked him in the head with their elbow. Cappie staggered back bumping into Hannah who was serving drinks to customers at a nearby table. She looked down at the boy in confusion. "Cappie? I thought you went with Audrey today?"

"No time Hannah, I need to find Septimus! It's important!" Hannah's look of confusion changed to one of indifference. It was common knowledge that she found the old man of questionable moral character, and disagreed with him on many counts.

"He's at the bar like he usually is."

Cappie caught sight of Septimus hunched over a bottle of Ogden's finest firewhiskey. Of all the times to be drinking… "Thank you Hannah!" He ran over as fast as he was able, "Septimus!"

The old man looked up for a moment then went back to his drink, "What is it Cappie?"

"Something's wrong, I think Lucia and Audie are in trouble!" Cappie was sure that Septimus would go help; he liked the two of them and had worked hard to keep them out of too much trouble during and after the war.

"They're adults; they can take care of themselves. If they can't that's their own problem." He took another drink as the Wasps scored again.

"But-"

"No buts."

"The masked-"

"I don't want to hear it!"

His parents had always told him to count to ten when he got angry. Cappie was too angry to count, "The masked man already killed Russell and now you will let him do the same to Audie and Lucia? I thought you cared, I guess you don't care if the man in the mask kills'em. That's fine, if you won't help them then I will!" Cappie stormed back into the crowd leaving Septimus with his mouth hanging open stupidly.

Septimus pulled himself together quickly, "Wait!" He rose from the barstool and leaned on his cane as Cappie rushed back to his side. "If we're going to pull off a rescue mission, I'm not going in blind and unprepared. We need some supplies."

"What kind of supplies?"

"You'll find out," Septimus turned his attention to Tom who was watching with interest. "Tom, do me a favor and tell Cadwallader what's going on. I think she might want to round up the Diagon Watch too. And could I get a refill, I think I'm going to need it." He put his flask on the bar with a smile. "The strongest stuff you've got."

Oo0Oo0

Arthur Weasley found these young women to be a bit strange. The Selwyn girl was friendly enough, to a degree, chatty, joking, and a bit on the crude side. Causey seemed icy and silent, she was taking a lot of deep breathes as if to calm herself down. Merlin knew he had done that enough over the past couple of years, but this seemed different. Causey appeared to be focusing on something that was not there.

_Audrey Causey… _That named sounded familiar, maybe because he had worked with someone with the same surname on a case once, a muggle detective. There was no chance they were related anyway; Aran Causey had said he had neither children or siblings. Though the resemblance was startling, he had never forgotten those unusually pale eyes. Arthur had seen her around the Ministry before. He remembered how he had heard her name used, it had been tossed around the office during the war as the name of a somewhat known ravel rouser during the war who was causing some real problems for the Ministry's attempt at _purification._ Arthur had heard she was dead about a month or two ago after the war ended though he had heard different dates and different causes of death. Apparently those were rumors, because she was at the head of this line up the back stairs with her wand out and ready. Audrey Causey seemed too young to be in charge of anything.

"So what is it that you do exactly?" Lucia asked as she kept pace with him. She was tall, blonde, and smiled like it was a normal conversation not a rescue mission.

"Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells." Arthur replied as he continued the climb. It had been a while since he had taken the stairs, it seemed much more exhusting then it used to be.

"Well, that's a mouthful," Lucia Selwyn said cheekily; the cheek was apparently encouraged by Audrey's chuckle.

Oo0Oo0

Sometime in late April

_"You have been charged with the crimes of high treason, aiding the escape of criminals, the stealing of magic, and evading arrest." The toad-faced woman exclaimed from her place above them. She gave a girlish giggle that made Audrey want to claw her ears off. That bloody cat patronus just annoyed her. "Is there anything you wish to say in your defense?"_

_Septimus straightened himself and smiled wryly, Audrey felt an overwhelming sense of doom. "Sorry, we were not aware that saving lives was against the law." The three people, if Audrey could dare to think of them as such, were staring at the old man in open mouthed shock. Audrey was looking at Septimus with something like terror once the full impact of what he had just said reached full understanding._

_"Are you trying to get us killed?" Audrey hissed as Lucia stepped a little closer to them with John at her back. _'Or worse…' _She thought as she looked at the gathering dementors and a wave of hopelessness consumed her._

_Umbridge was opening and closing her mouth like a frog trying to catch a fly, she composed herself quickly. "They are thieves of the rightful power belonging to the bloodlines of wizards."_

_"It's theirs by right, because the accused muggle-borns are in fact, my bastard love children."_

_Audrey felt the need for a drink. Something hard._

_The court was silent. One man sitting next to Umbridge spoke, "They don't look a thing like you."_

_"They look like their beautiful mothers. Besides, Audrey has my ears, John has my feet."_

_"Our records say that they were born to muggles in the muggle world."_

_Septimus smiled, as he leaned a little closer to the court judges as if telling a secret. "Well, you see, I have had many illicit affairs with beautiful women of the muggle persuasion."_

_If there were not dementor's swarming around them, Audrey would have felt hopeful for a better outcome then what she was expecting._

_Umbridge spoke again, disgust evident upon her face. "Somehow, I find this doubtful. Miss Selwyn, you and Mister Lowell shall be sentenced to three years in Azkaban for your part in this… defiance of rightful punishment of these lawbreakers. Mister Townsend and Miss Causey shall," she giggled some more, "Hereby be sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss and their wands snapped." Audrey felt like vomiting as the dementor's came closer._

_Septimus' smile seemed to grow, "Sorry, Umbitch, that sentence seems rather unnecessary." He tapped his walking stick on the floor and a large silver animal burst forth and chased the dementor's back. It was a falcon, proud and stately. Audrey had no idea Septimus could produce a full patronus, it chased the dementor's back with talons outstretched. He brought his wand up and stunned the observers, summoning the wards that were about to be snapped to give to John and Lucia and the spare that Audrey had surrendered to the Death Eaters to his empty hand. Audrey took her wand out of her boot. "Alright, time to go." He began to whistle a tune as he led them out of the courtroom._

_The group walked a short distance to the staircase before they were met by an employee; Lucia's intake of breath told Audrey all she needed to know. He seemed to recognize them as well and shouted for aid. The help he had called for seemed to appear instantly. Septimus moved between the three young people and those who would send them back. "Go, go now!" he shouted as he began to fire spells into the gathering crowd._

_Audrey shouted his name as John and Lucia dragged her away. A crowd swarmed around them and Audrey found herself alone in the crowd. She kept moving and it all moved into a blur, she froze a couple of bureaucrats who were coming around the corner. Audrey opened the door to the emergency staircase and ran up the stairs at top speed._

_The door at the top opened into a large room that had a high ceiling overhead and a statue in the middle of the fountain in the center of the room. She pushed her way past a couple of people foolish enough to be in the way; Audrey began to scan the crowd for John and Lucia. She kept her head down waited and watched. _

_A few moments later John and Lucia sprang out of the lift at a dead sprint with Death Eaters following from another lift firing spells at them. Lucia threw a blinding curse over her shoulder over her shoulder barely missing their pursuers. Audrey hit one with a particularly nasty hex that caused him to hit the floor screaming and to trip his partner. John took the opportunity to stun them both. The room had cleared during the scuffle; people did not want to get involved._

_They waited in silence for a few moments before the silence was interrupted by a shout, "What are you_ waiting _for? An invitation!"_ _Septimus limped quickly into the room cursing and hexing those who were following. "Go, go!"They stood their ground and instead rushed forward to help him. The group was soon backing in the center of the room by the fountain and its hideous statue display. The Death Eaters had backed off some and Septimus was glancing at the statue with interest and loathing. "Hey, Audrey, I'm not an artist but the ascetic appeal of this statue appears to be lacking, don't you think?"_

_"It's damn ugly Septimus," Audrey replied as she hexed a Death Eater who was preparing to throw a spell at John. _

_"That it is," He pointed his cane at the statue and said the incantation. Audrey caught on immediately and threw her own spell into the mix feeling Lucia and John could hold the few stupid Death Eaters long enough to be involved in this. It was melting to a rather shapeless blob, which with one great push of magical power Septimus leaned its remains eerily close to their assailants who leapt back and away from it. More began to come from the lifts, "I'll hold them off, you three make a run for it."_

_"But-" Audrey said quietly._

_"No buts. The Relocation Operation is finished. Go into hiding and keep your heads down until the end of the war. Leave the country if you can, the Ministry won't be able to touch you." He took a stance and a deep breath and a wall of fire rose up separating them from the gathering crowd. "Now go!"_

_Lucia and John grabbed a stunned Audrey and dragged her to the nearest fireplace and left. Audrey's last glimpse of Septimus was of him putting his cane down and his hands in the air as a sign of surrender._

There was a man in dark robes standing at the top of the stairs, the sight of him pulled Audrey out of her thoughts, her wand was out quickly and she stunned him. He began to slide down the stairs on his back, it looked painful. Arthur leaned over to stop him from going any farther down the stairs, but missed and he continued to slide down another two flights before coming to a halt. Audrey put her ear against the crack in the door listening closely for any sounds that could be problematic for this rescue mission. Hearing nothing Audrey turned and motioned for Lucia to take out her wand. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest.

She opened the door and peered around the corners nervously, finding nobody in sight, Audrey motioned them forward and they went down the hall cautiously. Personally, Audrey was expecting more people then what she had seen so far, though the stairs were known to none but a select few who liked to wander. Everyone else just used the lifts, so those were most likely being watched.

Tip-toeing quietly with her shoulder against the wall and wand in hand, Audrey could still say she felt nervous. She set the feeling aside by taking a deep breath, she could see the doorway into the Minister's office, truthfully the immediate support staff were housed in a large office that connected to the Minister's at the other end of the office. It was more a safety precaution than anything else, though it also allowed for the Minister to give orders to his immediate underlings directly without the use of memos. Audrey stepped to the other side of the door slowly and placed her ear against the keyhole. It was quiet, far too quiet. If anybody with evil intent was there, getting the surprise on them would be preferable.

Lucia and Arthur looked at Audrey from the other side of the doorframe. Audrey pointed at the door and held up one finger, two fingers, and then three fingers. Lucia moved quickly and blasted the door down; Audrey moved behind her and fired a hex at the man in dark robes. He turned to face them, his golden mask hiding his features.

Found him.

He drew his wand and pointed it at the two of them as Arthur ran to a figure under an overturned bookshelf with books scattered around it. Lucia and Audrey blocked the spell, but the masked man seemed one step ahead and had fired his spell immediately once again catching Lucia in the shoulder the impact causing her to spin around and knock her to the floor. Lucia swore and moved back to her feet quickly while Audrey held off the barrage of spells. Audrey noticed the blood coming from Lucia's shoulder, this had to end quickly.

Audrey started walking forward determinedly like she had been shown during the first security riot drill. Levitating chairs into the air to beat him back into a corner so he could not move anywhere. Lucia had retreated to the door to prevent the man from escaping if he got away from Audrey. Suddenly, the masked man lunged forward knocking Audrey back. Audrey retaliated with a stinging hex that whizzed past his ear. He staggered back and Audrey leapt to her feet and jammed her shoulder into his gut and causing him to crash into a wall. He turned and pushed Audrey's back against the wall. Her wand fell from her hand.

"Tell me about the book." His voice sounded raspy. He pressed his wand under her chin.

"What book? I read a lot of books."

"The Book of the Dead. The book that the old man held in his possession. I'm sure he told you all about it." He pulled a thick, tatty, leather bound book out of his sleeve.

"Never heard of it, never seen it before and the old man never mentioned it to me. Sure does sound like something he would be interested in though."

"Lowell tells you everything-"

"Ha! Lowell and I had a falling out, we're done. I have better things to do then obey the whims of a sour old drunk."

The man in the mask chuckled, "Then you won't have a problem telling me all about his work then will you."

"I would actually, seeing as I am under an Unbreakable Vow."

His tone got cold and serious, "Don't lie to me. I know you are lying and I find it rather offensive. Now tell me what you know."

"Death first."

She grabbed the mask with a free hand and pulled. It was time to see who was behind the mask. She was done with this.

The mask came off, and Audrey had no words.

Oo0Oo0

"Why are we standing in front of the Wheeze?" Cappie asked as Septimus walked up to the front door and knocked it down with a spell. The door hit the ground with a crash and Septimus strolled calmly inside. "Geezer, I don't think making them laugh to death is gonna work. Doesn't this count as robbery?"

"It's only bad if you get caught, and he's too drunk to notice." Septimus said pointedly as he motioned to the figure sprawled on the floor smelling of vomit and liquor. "Besides, where you see children's toys, I see weapons of war." George snored loudly and cuddled his bottle of whiskey closer to his chest. "That there is the mastermind." Septimus crept over to a shelf of decoy detonators and got them into two small magically enlarged bags that hung of his belt. He took one off and tossed it to Cappie who clipped it onto his own belt. Septimus walked over to the counter and took a few bags of Darkness powder giving a couple to Cappie also. "Cappie, go find some fireworks and small items you can shoot out of your slingshot."

"Yes sir!" Cappie leapt over the sleeping drunk and took off for the storage room as Septimus continued to ransack the shelves for useful items. He soon had a couple of small magically enlarged bags full of items that could be useful. Many of the annoying, distracting variety. Cappie came back quickly with a bag of fireworks and some matches. Septimus shrunk the bag down quickly, and Cappie attached it to his belt. He had some small circular things in his pocket that he had found in the storage room, he had no idea what they were, but they were hard and small enough to shoot with.

They turned to leave when George began to stir. They stopped short as he spoke, "Wha' are ya doin' 'ere?"

"We are checking your security charms George, can't have just anyone coming in for your products when you're not open." Septimus said calmly as Cappie looked back and forth at the two with concern. "Nothing to worry about, everything seems secure. Go back to sleep George."

"Al'ight, t'anks Shep. You're a real good neig'bor…" He fell back onto the floor and began to snore.

"Alright Cappie, let's go." Septimus said as he strolled out of the shop walking over the door as he made his exit with Cappie following closely as they rushed to the Leaky Cauldron and pushed past the crowds to the fireplace.

They stepped out of the floo to reveal an Atrium with people in dark robes and cloaks standing about looking bored. Cappie stepped back behind the old man as one of the people in dark robes walked over from where he was standing nearby. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you two will have to come with me. It's orders from the Minister sir."

"I don't take orders very well," Septimus said calmly as he blasted the man back into two of his mates who were coming to assist him. Septimus then moved forward as quickly as he was able to the lift at the other end, stunning those foolish enough to cross him as he went. Cappie followed, watching with interest as one was turned into a teapot. The lift was not working; Septimus cursed and went through the door that led to the emergency staircase. He looked up and groaned this was not going to be pleasant for his leg. He took a deep breath and began to climb, cursing everything and everybody that crossed his mind. The Ministry, the past Ministers, bureaucrats, nosy nieces, stupid apprentices…

Cappie just listened to his tirade with interest. Maybe there was something that could help solve this problem on another floor. His father had told him about confiscated items that went a very long time without being tossed out; when his dad had brought him to work with him a couple of years ago he showed him a room full of confiscated goods. Cappie remembered exactly what the room contained and what floor it was on.

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_It went way longer then I thought. I split what was supposed to be one big chapter into two for easier reading. I did not think it would go so long. I'll see if I can have the second part of this up tomorrow._

_I thought this chapter was more funny then anything else anyway. And that flashback scene, you can draw your own conclusions about Septimus' state of intoxication or desperation. I had way to much frun writing that completely unneeded scene. Oh well. _


	20. Intervention

_**Chapter Twenty: Intervention**_

_July 11__th__ 1998_

_The smell of smoke and burning bodies all came rushing back to Audrey's senses. The hand on her back pushing her through the door to the outside where everything was falling apart, then the sudden flare of heat at her back and anguished screams from Adamina and Martin Garland rose to an unmatched pitch. The mud seeping through the knees of her trousers and someone wrenching her up by the back of her trench coat and throwing her face first to the ground and pressing their wand into the back of her neck._

_"Going somewhere, mudblood?" _

_Damn those bastards. Damn them all to hell._

_"Nott, is that one of the leaders?" A voice asked as the screaming from the small cabin continued now dropping in volume. Audrey realized her comrades were suffocating from the fumes inside. _

_The man called Nott gave Audrey a swift kick to the side, Audrey grunted as she was forced onto her back. Nott placed his foot on her chest and took a piece of paper out of his pocket. His eyes darted between Audrey and the paper a few times before he spoke. "Why yes it is. Miss Audrey Evelyn Causey never registered her blood-status. Her mother was a shop clerk and her father is a detective out in London. That would make her a mudblood. " Audrey's eyes widened. "And look here, she's wanted for other things besides being a thief." Nott passed his paper to his companion. "Just turning her in alone is quite a bit of money."_

_"She's worth more with her fellow leaders with her."_

_"They've already got the old man and the blood-traitor Selwyn. We've got to find the others for the big reward."_

_Maybe John had managed to make a run for it with all the other muggle-borns. They could disappear and be safe until the end of the war. Audrey wouldn't be so lucky; they would probably suck out her soul upon arrival to Azkaban or the Ministry for trial. Though deep in the back of her mind, Audrey realized that they could look for Adamina, Martin, and Nolan forever and only find their bodies in the cabin's remains. They most likely would never get the big money that was promised seeing as three of the seven leaders were murdered today. _

_Audrey never noticed the Death Eater's foot colliding with the side of her head. Audrey gave in to the sudden darkness. _

"How are you still alive? The building collapsed on top of you?" Audrey asked as the golden mask fell to the floor. Nolan Odell's face was badly burned and disfigured; the left side of his face was the more mangled half. His left ear had been burned away to a stub; the left side of his mouth was burned shut. Audrey's eyes widened as she realized his left eye socket was empty. The inside, from what Audrey could see, was covered in newly healed scars. Her heart beat loudly as she took in the horrible sight and he took a step back, Audrey took the opportunity to pick up her wand her eyes never leaving his face as she stepped away.

"Now, why is the answer to that question important? All you need to know is right here in front of you."

Audrey grinded her teeth in frustration, "No, it isn't. I want to know what's going on and who's behind it."

"I've already told you."

A low moan next to the overturned bookcase to Audrey's left caught her attention. Her eyes darted toward the scene while she faced Odell. The body of her friend had been trapped under his own bookcase; his father had helped him get out from under it. Audrey felt consumed by a hot, heated anger. That was dangerous. Nolan Odell had always been shifty, cunning, and a dangerous strategic thinker. If one played into his hands, they might not live to brag about it. Nolan Odell was the one who had devised several stops for the fleeing muggle-borns during the war. He had given them wands, food, water. Audrey couldn't understand why he was doing this now.

"You haven't told me anything!" Audrey sounded agitated now.

"Yes, I have. Everything you need to know is right here in front of you." He repeated his earlier statement.

Audrey paused, her breath tightening as she came to a realization that made her blood run cold. "You're behind this. Aren't you?"

The masked man smiled, "Took you long enough."

"Nolan Odell betrayed us to the Death Eaters," Audrey said softly trying to make herself believe it. "Why?" her voice rose as she repeated the question. _"Why?"_

Nolan chuckled.

"_ANSWER ME DAMMIT!"_

"Better answer Nolan. The longer you talk, the longer you live!" Lucia said from where she stood in the doorway her wand pointed at Nolan's back seeming to recover from her shock. "And if you make any sudden moves I'll blow you apart!" Lucia smiled, "You'll be lucky if anyone can even find a hair of your remains."

Nolan gave a mock cringe as he turned around to face her, "That's cold, Lucia. Perhaps you're not that different from the Selwyn's as you like to think."

"I only blow pureblooded bigots apart, not the innocents who get caught in the tangled web of politics and blood-status. Now drop your wand."

Nolan smiled, and it was the most twisted thing Audrey had ever seen. "Sorry Lucia, I don't think I can do that. That would be quite stupid." He hit Lucia with a bright light. She hit the wall behind her and slumped to the floor. "I can't have you causing trouble either!" He turned his wand on the older man as he rose to his feet and he fell to the floor, stunned. "I needed something big to get your attention," Nolan turned his attention back to Audrey, "And in turn, Septimus Lowell. You're bait, that's it." He put the book on a nearby desk. "Now, take a seat."

Audrey felt her knees bending against her will as his power forced her to the floor. "What's in that book anyway? What is it that makes it so important?"

Nolan didn't answer. He leaned casually against the wall and waited picking up Audrey's wand and putting it in his belt. He stared at the door, waiting.

"You know, he probably isn't going to come. When I said we had a falling out I wasn't kidding, so it's gonna be a long wait Nolan." Somehow the knowledge that Septimus would leave her, was comforting and hurtful. At least Nolan would not get the information he thought Septimus had.

There was a noise at the door and another dark robed figure stepped inside, hunched over and looking at the floor. Audrey froze, they worked for Nolan, and she knew this now. How many people did he have working for him?

"Ah, your timing is impeccable," Nolan said. "I need you to take the rest of these prisoners down to the Atrium, for a public execution. That should send a message."

Audrey's eyes widened in horror, she struggled to move but remained incapacitated. This was not happening; it was not supposed to go like this. No, no, no!

The dark robed man stepped forward and leaned against the doorframe, his long dark robe making him rather shapeless. His voice sounded familiar. "I don't take orders from you." His left hand shot out of his robes and was clutching a walking stick tightly and then proceeded to pull back the hood of his robes and met Nolan's eyes coolly. "Now, get away from my daughter."

"Ah, my old boss," Nolan grabbed the back of Audrey's coat and pulled her to her feet, removing the spell. Pain shot through her chest and shoulder. Her injury had been acting up for a few days now. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Septimus blinked and squinted through his glasses at the mangled, scarred, man standing across the room. "Nolan? Merlin's pants, you got ugly."

Nolan scowled, his face contorted grotesquely, Audrey heard him muttering to himself, "I forgot about the mouth…" He turned his attention to Septimus who was standing calmly in the doorframe his eyes darting from Nolan to Audrey nervously. "I'll give you the girl unharmed, if you give me some information about an item of yours." He motioned towards the book on the desk, "This one here. Do you recognize it?" Nolan levitated it into the air so Septimus could have a better look at the item in question. Audrey noticed a latch on the side of the book to keep it closed.

Septimus' grey eyes narrowed, "You're the masked bloke who hired Cappie to steal that book a couple of months ago. And I want both girls, Nolan. Keep that in your equation. You must have some idea what that book is, why get us involved?"

"I can't open it. The powers that bind it are too strong; I need the spell for the unbinding. I took documents from your shop that supposedly had the information on them; there was nothing there for the breaking."

"What did you take, Nolan?" Septimus asked keeping his eyes on Nolan's wand and gripping his walking stick tightly. He looked ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Notes, and diagrams mostly, there was a star chart, and a recipe for carrot cake."

Septimus started to laugh, long and hard. He took a couple of deep breaths and looked Nolan in the eye. "It was in the carrot cake recipe you idiot. You had it the whole time; it's been coded so have fun with that."

"What..?" Was Nolan's only response.

Septimus became very serious again. "I answered you question, now let Audrey and Lucia go."

"Finish answering my questions and _maybe_ I'll give you both. What exactly does the book do?"

Audrey watched Septimus' eyebrows furrow together. "Stories say that the book can recall dead spirits from beyond, Powerful magic is said to be written within, along with a spell to revive the dead themselves. " he took a deep breath, Audrey noticed Percy look over at Septimus with wide eyes that held a hint of a mad idea. "There is said to be something powerful bound within. It is unknown what it is or who it used to be. That is all I know about it." Septimus continued to speak, "I just want the girls, Nolan. You can keep those other two as hostages; their safety is no concern of mine."

"I'm sorry Septimus, but they've both been rather troublesome, Audrey has come very close to finding me on quite a few occasions already and I can't run the risk of her or Lucia finding out anything. It could be problematic for my goals. Thank you for your time." Nolan raised his wand and pointed it at Septimus, "Good-bye."

There was no time for a spell to be fired for at that moment a large flying shadow burst into the office. A man leapt off of what appeared to Audrey to be a flying carpet and hit the ground rolling and then ran over to help Percy and his father. Lucia was starting to stir. Audrey looked up again to see a small figure loading a slingshot and opening fire on Nolan. When the small pellets hit, they created small explosions. Nolan had to shove her out of the way so he could dodge the exploding pellets more easily. Audrey managed to grab her wand from his belt before a deep black powder clouded her vision and Audrey could not see a thing. She only knew one thing at this point.

'_Get the book!' _Audrey crawled on the floor remembering the location of the desk. She located the leg of the desk with ease and grabbed the corner of the book. She felt its power seeping through the pages and shivered. Audrey did not hesitate, stuffed the Book of the Dead under her coat and crawled as far as she could away from where she believed Nolan to be lurking. The smoke cleared and Audrey saw the edges of his robes leaving the room. She got to her feet with the full intention of following but was stopped by the sight of John taking care of her friends injuries.

'_You'll find him again Aud, he wants the book, and I doubt he'll leave without it…'_

She clutched the book tightly to her chest and walked over to where Cappie was stepping off the flying carpet. "That was fun, want to try it Audie?" Audrey responded by grabbing his ear with her thumb and forefinger and twisting. Cappie stiffened and began to yell about child abuse. "Ow, ow!"

"What are you doing here; I sent you back to Diagon." Audrey turned her attention to Septimus who seemed to be backing away slowly to try and save himself from Audrey's displeasure. "You bastard, you brought him here."

Septimus turned his attention to Percy who was getting the full dose of John's medical expertise and walked over for a better look and to give his opinion. Audrey let go of Cappie's ear a followed, she was not quite done yet. She stepped back when she got a look at the wound John was tending to.

"I was hit by that curse once. Don't worry, boy, it's just a flesh wound."

"It's decaying!" Percy responded his voice raising an octave.

"Yeah, it's a flesh wound." Septimus said, seeming to enjoy the unnecessary teasing and the dark humor. "That same spell is why I use a cane."

Audrey gagged.

"Don't worry you're going to be alright," John said as he gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze and continued binding his leg and using magic to keep it clean. "How long has it been like this?"

"About ten minutes I think," he hissed.

"We need to get you to the hospital quickly. I'm not taking any chances; Nolan always had a talent for dark magic."

Father and son's eyes both got a little bigger at that statement, as they looked at the group nervously. Audrey was not about to try and explain Septimus' reasoning, she was not even sure where he had found Nolan Odell to begin with. Though now Audrey really wanted to know.

Oo0Oo0

"I hope you all know just how many laws you are breaking with the use of this flying carpet within the Ministry. Section seven of the decree against what can and cannot be used as transportation inside of a public building clearly states-"

"That I don't care," Septimus shot back as he steered the carpet around the corner sharply causing Percy to crash into Audrey almost knocking her off. He grabbed her arm in time to stop her from hitting the floor.

"Go right!" his father yelled as a dark robed man stepped into their path. Audrey covered her eyes as Cappie grabbed her around the waist and buried his face in the back of her coat. She tried to ignore Lucia's loud whoops of excitement. She was clearly enjoying the ride.

"Hey, what did I say about backseat driving!" Septimus shouted as he flew on down the corridor ignoring the warnings and the pleas from the reasonable few.

The dark robed man hit the floor as the carpet flew over his head, Lucia turned and shouted "Later loser!" as the carpet made another turn throwing everyone to the right, "Faster Uncle Septimus, faster!"

Audrey could now safely come to the conclusion that this was one of her more interesting adventures.

"The decree states that modes of transportation that put others lives in jeopardy-"

"Boy, you need to get laid!" Septimus retorted as he sent the carpet around another corner throwing Audrey onto his injured leg as the carpet went silent, before a couple of laughs from the back broke the silence.

"I think we all knew that, Septimus," John laughed. "I feel sorry for the girl who stuck with you Weatherby."

"I just hope it's not anyone I know particularly well." Septimus shouted from the front enjoying the uncalled for teasing.

"Hey Aud, get out of his lap!" Lucia said loudly.

Septimus whipped around, taking his eyes off the winding corridor, there was more screaming before the steering was taken over by Cappie who had crawled over Audrey's legs to the front of the rug. "Hands and other body parts to yourself!" He began to lecture as Cappie sent the carpet through a large hole that had been blown in the wall that led into the Atrium.

There was a large fight with some familiar figures in the chaos. Audrey swore that she saw Celeste Cadwallader and Scully taking down a large dark robed figure. Audrey wondered when they had gotten here.

"Drop them off Cappie, it looks safe enough." Septimus said calmly as he examined the scene from above pointing at an exposed staircase. Cappie brought the carpet down to the appointed area and the passengers disembarked. "Alright, I doubt Nolan's left the area yet. Find that traitor; I'm not giving him to Ministry justice." Septimus took a drink of whiskey from his flask, "I'll see if I can give you some air support. Stairs and I don't see eye to eye." He turned back to look at Percy. "I don't think we'll be able to get you medical attention until Nolan is incapacitated, besides," Septimus' voice dropped to something menacing. "I want to keep an eye on you."

Down the stairs they all went, as Cappie was preparing for another takeoff a familiar voice stopped him. "Cappie!" It was Serena. "Wait for me!" She leapt onto the carpet and Cappie took off into the air.

"I remember you!" Percy exclaimed as he looked at Serena. "You picked my pockets."

"Forget about her picking your pockets, you should be more concerned about me knowing about you trying to pick up my apprentice!" Septimus retaliated as he waved his cane around. "I got my eyes on you boy."

"I-I am most certainly not trying to pick up Audrey, as you so crudely put it."

"So she's not good enough for you?"

"Hey, Caps, I got a galleon that says the old timer's going to push ginger off the carpet first." Serena whispered to Cappie as they continued to rise.

"I'll take that bet. What about Sloan?"

Serena scowled, "He wasn't there."

Oo0Oo0

Audrey left them and went down the stairs into the conflict. It was chaotic. Audrey saw familiar faces and unfamiliar ones dueling with people in dark robes. Audrey hit one with a stinging hex who had cornered a little old witch who was throwing rocks at him in the absence of her wand. He hit the floor and the little old witch grabbed his wand and joined the fray.

'_Where is Nolan?' _Audrey rushed through, looking around anxiously for some glint of gold. She found herself standing in front of the leaking fountain with Lucia who was dueling with a rather scrawny woman in dark robes. She blasted her back and turned her attention to Audrey who was standing in a puddle of water.

"Looking for him?" Audrey turned the direction Lucia was looking to find that creepy golden mask looking back at her from a few yards away. Audrey's wand was in her hand. Lucia followed her lead. "He's going to be a problem. Nolan always liked his dark magic; he was good at it too."

"Why did Septimus hire him then?"

Lucia never got the chance to answer before Nolan Odell rushed forward his wand drawn and pointing at Audrey. Audrey stepped back and took out the book from inside of her coat. She held it out and pointed her wand at it stopping Nolan dead in his tracks. "I'll burn it Nolan. See if I don't." At the delivery of those words the water around Audrey's feet froze.

The mask hid his face; he brought his wand up in an upward arc over his head and knocked the book from Audrey's grasp. It slid across the floor. They looked at each other, then looked at the book and looked at each other again. Audrey took a step back and raised her wand; water rose from the puddles on the floor and formed icicles. She brought her arm back and flung them at Nolan with deadly accuracy. Septimus had made her practice this spell until she was to sore and tired to move, Audrey never thought she would need to use it on a former comrade.

Nolan leapt back and melted the first few with no problems, he dodged one that whirred past his cheek and fell to the floor the rest of them flying over his head.

Audrey left Nolan and ran to the book a few yards away. She was sure there were anti-summoning charms on it; she could feel them under the overpowering of dark magic that was coming from the book when she had picked it up. She tripped and cut her hand on a rock wincing at the sudden sharp sting. As she got to her feet there was a loud shout from overhead. She looked up to find Percy at the front of the carpet, his glasses gone and heading towards the ground at full speed with Septimus screaming obscenities at him while Cappie and Serena held on to his robes for dear life. "What the f-" the rest of it was drowned out and the dark robed man behind her found his head colliding with the carpet and hitting the floor like a rock. Audrey watched as they lost control of the carpet and nearly collided with the nearby wall. Instead the carpet flipped over and dumped all four of them onto the floor. Audrey winced and bent over to pick up the book.

The book seemed to shake and scream in Audrey's hands. She could here its bloodcurdling whisper in her mind. '_The seal… The seal has broken… I can taste freedom…'_ What was this book? She pressed it to the floor under her bleeding hand. Something like this was in Septimus' shop? _'What is it you desire?'_ The book seemed to be speaking to everyone in the Atrium. _'You want your mother back so your father will acknowledge you. You want him to be happy.' _Dark magic began to seep from the pages and Audrey fell back in horror. A dark shapeless figure rose from the book. It turned what Audrey believed to be its head towards Percy who was laying against the wall nearby. It smiled, showing a row of pointy teeth. _'You should be dead instead of your little brother… Could have done better… Should have protected him… Better off without you… Happier without you…You think it every day. I can give you your brother back… For a price…' _Its tongue wetted its lips. Audrey could smell its putrid breath, it smelled like a rotting corpse.

"Whatever your price is, I'll pay it." Audrey was too scared to move as he rose to his feet and staggered over towards the creature. Audrey covered her nose with her hand. It reeked.

The thing tilted its head appraisingly; its smile widened threatening to split its face in two. _'I guess you'll do… Your price is your soul…' _It opened its mouth as its claws elongated, it moved forward gracefully. Audrey moved towards the book and began to draw a figure she had found in a book she had studied in the remaining blood on the cover. An inch away from the soul it needed, the creature began to fade. It turned its head to Audrey as she placed the final lines on the rune. _'No… No!' _It lunged for her, mouth opened and putrid breath consuming her. _'Sealed with blood… The blood has sealed me…' _It smiled suddenly as if struck by a great idea. _'The blood will release me…' _It disappeared into the book and the rune of sealing Audrey had drawn into the book cover had vanished.

Audrey left the book and took off down the same hall that Nolan had run down a few minutes before. She never wanted to see that book again. Evil things lurked in those pages, good luck to those who picked it up. She hoped it would burn.

Audrey reached the corridor at a run. There was a golden glint from his mask up ahead, she ran towards it. "NOLAN!"

He turned and fired a spell. Audrey never had the chance to defend herself; it hit her in the chest and threw her back onto the floor. Darkness edged around her vision and a chain rattled by her ear. She turned her cheek to the cold stone floor and coughed, blood coming from her mouth. She felt her eyes close.

Oo0Oo0

Septimus grabbed the book before the bloody bureaucrat could offer himself as a sacrifice again and was clutching it tightly in his free hand as he followed Audrey after she had taken off after Nolan. That filthy traitor. He would be one more notch on his cane if Audrey… He did not want to think about that.

There was a body on the floor and a dark haired woman standing next to the body. Septimus continued forward, he had little to fear from those who fought in the shadows. The woman looked up and he was taken aback for a moment, she looked like a Selwyn. Great. Lucia was the only family member he could stand the sight of. The woman began to speak. "Hello, Uncle Pius."

"It's Septimus, but I presume you know that already." He stepped closer to the woman who stood as Audrey lay still as a statue. He smirked, "It seems kind of funny to me that you know who I am, but I don't know who you are." He was not going to play this the way he had upstairs, he was calmer now and could make more rational decisions. Septimus just needed to remember what was a stake, he wanted Audrey out in one piece. He also wanted to know about this woman, she seemed like she knew something. "How about you tell me."

She smirked back, "Sorry, I'm like you in the sense I like a little privacy." Septimus noticed her eyes move to the book in his hand. "Now, about that book-"

"No, you won't get it. It should not be trifled with; it is an item for the desperate and the foolish. I intend to keep it safe from your people."

"How about you join us?"

"Anything you offer is something I can obtain on my own." He tapped his cane on the ground and swung it in an upward arc causing the woman to reel back in surprise. Septimus fired again and this shot flew over her head. She never had a chance to retaliate. The next curse flew past her ear. Suddenly, the man walked out from behind some rubble and took her arm quickly. They disappeared with a loud crack.

Septimus kneeled down next to Audrey and kept her stable until emergency Healers arrived to take the injured away. As she was put on a stretcher, she muttered something about her will in the little wooden box under her bed.

* * *

Author's Note:

_I finished the next chapter a couple of weeks ago. I'll edit it a bit and I'll have it up shortly._

_And no, Septimus Lowell does not tempt fate, he punchs it in the face and mocks it. The flying carpet bit was definately my favorite part._

_There may be a couple more chapters and a preview of my next project. Though it will be some time before those are up. A really long time I suspect. You should be satisfied until then._

_Update 9/12/12: I adjusted things in this chapter that I may have ghosted over. _


	21. Limbo

_**Chapter Twenty-one: Limbo**_

_July 12__th__ 1998_

She felt she was going nowhere. Her feet were moving but the scenery was not changing. It was a continuously white space that stretched on forever and into eternity.

Audrey noticed the strangeness and continued to walk. Perhaps it would change in awhile. After all, it was just a dream.

As if answering her thoughts the emptiness began to fill. The space under her feet formed into a smooth wooden floor. Around her furniture like bookcases and chairs appeared from nowhere. A fireplace formed in front of the bright red chairs and couch. Audrey laughed; the Septenary had reconstructed itself before her eyes.

The rational part of her mind was screaming that this was impossible. The part that believed in wonders and miracles was screaming in joy.

There was a simple white robe lying on the arm of the couch. Audrey reached for it realizing for the first time she was without clothes. Her face was heated hoping nobody had seen her. She sat down on the couch and stared at the fire in the hearth.

"Your favorite place in the world. I had no idea you were such a workaholic."

Audrey turned around quickly to find a young blonde woman who appeared only a couple of years older than Audrey herself. She had large bright blue eyes that gave her the appearance of a curious child. Something in the woman's face reminded Audrey of someone.

"Would you mind if I sit down, Audrey?"

"Oh, not at all, please, go ahead." Audrey motioned to the empty space on the couch next to her. The woman sat gracefully. "Who are you?"

The woman put her hands in her lap and stared at the fireplace, seeming to ignore Audrey's question. When she finally spoke it was on another matter entirely. "Someone who loves you very much." She answered simply. She continued to speak. "You live here with your mentor, Septimus Lowell. You run the shop and assist him in his research pursuits. You look to him as the father you never had." The woman smiled sadly, sounding regretful, "Aran Causey is a good man, he just… He has problems. He cannot cope with grief. I met a woman once who said the same of Mr. Lowell."

Audrey paused, was she talking about Kitty Fletcher, the same woman who was Septimus' wife? But she was dead. How could this very young looking woman have met someone who had died in 1959? This woman did not look a day over 21.

The woman smiled sadly. "I'm sorry; I don't enjoy talking about myself very much. There isn't very much to tell really. I'd much rather talk about you, I find you far more interesting." She smiled, "Why here? There are so many other places that have impacted your life."

The answer fell from Audrey's mouth before she even had time to think about it. "I was happy here. The happiest I had ever been in my life. I was free to study what I wanted, come and go as I pleased within limitations, and…" Audrey paused, "I finally met someone who I could look up to for both failures and successes, for his pride and ambition, and someone who understood why I wanted to understand magic the way I did. Septimus taught me so much," Audrey stopped, a sudden realization overtaking her. "I think of him as my dad. And I'll never be able to tell him that.

"Because I'm dead, aren't I mum?"

Evelyn Causey gave her a bright smile. "In a sense, you are. But your ultimate fate has yet to be decided."

"By whom?" Audrey asked as she leapt out of her seat angrily, "Take me to him! Whether it's God or someone else, I want to speak to him!"

Evelyn giggled, "You sound just like your father. Ready to take on the world for answers, aren't you?"

Audrey cringed.

"Your fate is being decided by you. It's your choice whether to go back or to go on."

"My choice? But you died, you could've chosen to stay to hold your child and keep your family together. If it's a choice, why don't we all stay behind for those we love?"

Tucking her blonde hair behind her ear Evelyn remained calm and rational. "Sometimes Audrey, we have no say in the matter. We just move on into a limbo like this and someone who we knew who has moved on comes to tell us that it is our time. That our bodies are broken beyond repair and there's no way back." She smiled grimly, "I had no way back. I would've, if only for just for a few moments, to hold my newborn child. I felt cheated. I felt angry. My grandmother explained it all to me and I felt so angry. She couldn't make me move on until I was ready. I wanted to see the baby girl I had been waiting for. I wanted to see her father hold her in his arms like I never would. What I saw was a man broken beyond repair holding my cold, dead hands."

Audrey remained silent as a stone.

"I couldn't bear to leave Aran alone like that, but I needed to move on then or I never would. I would just watch the goings on in the living world forever. That is a fate that many who suffer sudden deaths succumb too. No matter what their loved ones say they cannot wrap their minds around the fact they are dead and just remain in their own limbo, waiting."

"I hope I don't become someone's whole heart the way you were to father." Audrey had no idea why she said that, though Audrey could see why Evelyn became Aran Causey's reason for existence. From the minutes, or perhaps hours, she had been here, Evelyn Causey had been almost exactly how she had imagined her mother, kind, gentle, and extremely patient about explaining everything to Audrey. She seemed like someone Audrey would've gotten along well with. And, Audrey imagined, she wouldn't ignore her for a week when she found out she was a witch the way her grandfather had.

"Your life would've been very different. Your father would've had to work all the time anyway and you would've spent more time with babysitters then your father. Perhaps it was a small mercy. Your grandparents loved you. I'm just sad your father never got to know his daughter personally or about the life you have led."

"He's happier not knowing, trust me. No man wants to know his daughter could've become a victim of genocide if she stayed in the country, but stayed anyway to help others get to safety. And then have the whole operation fell apart when one of the leaders turns out to be a double-agent and sells you and everybody else out for gold, and some dark magic spells. I'm going to kill Nolan Odell very, _very_, slowly." Audrey's hands moved subconsciously towards the place where she usually kept her wand.

Evelyn leaned away from Audrey nervously as her daughter's eyes bulged and her wand hand shook violently. Damn Nolan.

"Audrey, sweetie, killing and violence are not the answer. I think you've seen enough to know that."

"Mum," She'd always wanted to say that word, "I don't care anymore. Nolan Odell is a problem-"

"Who you will meet again either next week or years from now. Odds are he'll find you before you find him."

"If I have something he wants. Like that bloody book."

"_Audrey!" _

"What?"

"You know what."

"Okay, sorry. Geez…" Audrey propped her chin on her hand. The Book of the Dead… Plans needed to be made for its safety… Plans for the long term protection of the artifact, it was a sick and disgusting item that Audrey knew should not be left anywhere unattended for too long or at all. The things it could do if its full powers were released, Audrey had only touched a small fraction of its powers and even in death could still feel it coursing through her. She shivered, Book of the Dead indeed. Septimus knew how dangerous it was, (she hoped), he would make arrangements for it if she could not return. Sealed with her own blood, Septimus would be sure to put that to use somehow.

Audrey curled her toes over the wooden floor for a moment as a silence washed over them. What did she have to go back for? A world struggling with the repercussions of a war so terrible, bloody, and violent that the best of humanity was left behind for safety and security? A dead-end job working for people who had tried to kill her? People who had betrayed her and some who had actively tried to kill her for information and baiting? These were superficial reasons but they made life that much harder. Audrey looked at the warm, roaring fireplace. It was nice here, but there was something missing.

Life.

"You have a lot to go back for, think about that Sweetie." Evelyn said so softly it was practically a whisper. "I don't want you to die younger than I did…"

Audrey's eyes closed, as she began to think of all of the people in her life. Lucia's fairness, intelligence and loyalty; John with his ambitions of a better future for his son and Ellie; Cappie and Serena's struggles for closure and some form of normalcy after all of the horrors of war. Septimus and his drinking. There was one more image in Audrey's mind, which caused her to smile. She had a feeling she was going to become rather fond of the Minister's lap dog.

She stood, fists clenched at her sides. Audrey inhaled deeply and looked at her mother with a grim smile. "I'm going back; there are still a lot of things I need to take care of. Besides, I think the old man would be pretty bored if I left."

"I think a few other people would be too," Evelyn said as Audrey's form began to fade. Her voice suddenly became very stern. "Now, I don't want to see you back here for a very long time. Don't come back until you give me grandchildren!"

"Good bye mum!" Audrey laughed and disappeared leaving her mother with tears running down her face.

"I'm so proud of you. Please stay safe…"

Oo0Oo0

There was an obnoxious snoring sound coming from the bed to Audrey's right. Audrey sat up slowly, ignoring the pain shooting through her body, to see where she was. The starch white walls told her all she needed to know. Saint Mungo's or hell, were her only viable options. Neither one was very nice. She looked to her left and found a familiar figure sitting in the chair next to her bed. His age was showing more than Audrey had ever seen before, Septimus was right, he may have been getting to old for heroics. He had also said that age was not going to stop him completely, just slow him up a little. Even that seemed unlikely.

Audrey smiled for a moment before reaching over to poke Septimus. He snored loudly in response. Audrey laughed and stopped suddenly when she realized what Septimus was holding in his lap, it was her box with all those letters she had told him to burn after she had shoved her will into his hands. She put her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes.

"I'm awake you know."

Audrey shot up with a hiss of pain through her chest and shoulder. "Don't do that."

"Well, I have your attention now." He was giving her a strange look that was very anxious, and full of concern. "We need to talk, we are going to have many discussions over the next couple of days, but considering everyone else in this place is asleep we'll start with this one." He held the box up and Audrey knew exactly where this discussion was going to go. "Fifteen letters unsent in a box, I hope you will be glad to know that I sent them."

"I wanted you to burn those!" Audrey said loudly covering her mouth as she realized how loud her voice sounded her own ears. The snoring on the other side of the curtain stopped and was replaced by rustling sheets for a moment. Septimus and Audrey were silent until they were sure he had gone back to sleep. Though Audrey heard no snoring. She shrugged and resumed giving Septimus a glare. That ceased immediately when he held the open box in front of her to display opened letters. Audrey felt her face growing warm. "Oh, you were joking."

Septimus smiled, "Yes, I was." He gave the box to Audrey, "I've been here for six hours waiting to tell that joke too. Now, on to other matters. I'm going to give you some advice that has nothing to do with liquor, so I suggest you pay attention. Your father lost his opportunity to know what an incredible person you are, it's his fault not yours. You did nothing wrong. So quit blaming yourself for things that you have no control over."

The corners of Audrey's mouth twitched, "He had every reason to hate me, I killed my own mother." Her head moved forward as Septimus thumped it with his hand.

"Not your fault either."

"When he left, I must have already done some magic or something, he called me an abomination. I always thought growing up that love from others was earned. I realized while we were helping people go abroad, all of those parents always loved their children unconditionally." Audrey looked at the sheet she had clenched in her fists, her eyes red and puffy. "I wondered why my own father never cared for me the way those parents cared for their children. The way you cared about me. And I realized that there is something wrong with my father. The past three years, you've been more of a dad to me then my own father."

Septimus stood, "Well that's…" He paused, "I'll see you in the morning, Audrey." He opened the curtains and walked out. Audrey thought he sounded for a brief moment, a bit choked up.

Oo0Oo0

Audrey awoke the following morning to find a scary sight at the bed next to her. She was one quite a bit of pain potion and thought for a brief moment she was hallucinating. It looked a fire before she realized that it was just a very large crowd of redheads. Her fuzzy vision came into focus and she recognized the older woman who was trying to fluff Percy's pillows while he tried to wave her off. Audrey's eyes widened fear filling her mind. That was the lady who killed the crazy Lestrange woman at the battle. Oh Merlin… That woman was scary… Was she his mother?

"Okay, what do you want? _Prophet_ or _Quibbler?" _Septimus asked as he appeared suddenly at the foot of her bed with the reading material in hand and what Audrey believed to be spiked tea in the other. "Get out of there; I know you are not asleep."

She turned around to face the wall slowly and pulled the covers over her head. Pretending that she was not there. It did not work for long.

She groaned as he yanked the covers off her head, "Alright, it's good to know you're not dead." He smiled and sat down in the nearby chair. "Might as well get you up to speed. Everyone is fine, Lucia was hit with a slow acting blinding curse up in the Minister's office and will be completely blind in a few years. There is no reversal for it."

Audrey looked at her hands sadly biting her lip anxiously, what kind of future was Lucia going to have? They were silent for a few minutes before Audrey spoke on another matter entirely. "Why did you hire Nolan Odell?"

"Um…"

"He tried to kill us; I have a right to know."

Septimus looked really uncomfortable, "Well, you see, the exact details escape me but…" He drank his spiked tea. Audrey glared at him. He shuddered, "Don't look at me like that, it's a bit eerie." He finished his tea, "I… er. I met him in a pub in Knockturn Alley, he bought me a drink and we got to talking. I remember asking if he would like to be involved and him telling me yes. He seemed like a somewhat decent bloke."

'_I need something to hit him with something… Something large and heavy. Where's my wand?' _She was pulled out of her thoughts by a shout from the door that led into the ward.

"I thought I recognized those eyebrows!" Marion Higgins' stood in the doorway looking at Septimus with some kind of deep boiling anger. Audrey could do nothing but watch the scene unfold; she was too confused to act. She looked over at Septimus who looked just as confused; obviously he did not know Madam Higgins. "Do you even remember me?" Septimus shook his head quickly as the little old woman marched forward getting the attention of everyone in the ward, she looked angry. "Forty years ago," she continued coming closer, a snarl crossing her features and she drew her wand. Audrey felt just as scared as she had when she had fought Nolan. "You _LEFT ME AT THE ALTAR!"_She pushed the tip of her wand into his chest. Septimus' eyes widened in horror, Audrey guessed he remembered her now.

Audrey felt she was beginning to sense a theme with the Selwyn's who had left the family fold for their own desires. Lucia had bragged about leaving her fiancée at the altar. Though then again, he had been twice her age, a Voldemort supporter, and had found her breasts more fascinating than her face.

"Marion?" Septimus said stupidly as he dropped the papers and backed away slowly. "How have you been?"

She responded with a suggestion so foul that even Audrey was impressed. Audrey decided in that moment that whatever Marion did to Septimus would be far better than anything she could cook up.

Percy and his family were watching with interest, though matriarch and the beautiful blonde woman seemed more disgusted than anything else. Most of the men by the bed seemed to be smirking behind their mother's back while the redheaded girl was giggling.

Marion turned her attention them leaving Audrey feeling relieved and giving Septimus a chance to escape. "How are you doing?" She sounded more pleasant now.

"Fine, Madam Higgins." He smiled slightly.

Oo0Oo0

A couple of hours later after Marion Higgins had gone back to repair the library Audrey and Percy found themselves talking. Audrey was avoiding the question she really wanted to ask out of politeness. Why did he offer himself up to the creature from the book? If he did not bring it up, Audrey sure was not. He had sat down in the empty chair next to her bed propped his injured leg on another empty chair and was working on a crossword while answering her questions about his health.

"So, how's your leg?"

"Fine, they expect I'll recover fully." He replied as he answered the last word on his crossword. "Finished." He set his quill down and limped back to his bed.

"You just did three days worth of crosswords in two hours. That's kind of creepy."

"I've been involved in stranger things." He propped himself up on his pillows and did the same for his leg. "That's better."

"What kind of things?" Audrey asked looking over appearing interested. She was bored, somebody this straight-laced had to have some kind of interesting uncharacteristic experience that could pass another few minutes here.

"You don't want to know."

His mother walked in and Audrey considered diving under the bed to escape notice, she was followed by Septimus and Cappie who was holding a small bag of money and tossing it into the air happily. Cappie ran over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I won this off a scarred bloke in the tearoom. I challanged him to a game of darts and won. His wife was laughing when I walked off with his pocket money." His smile widened.

"Did you hustle him?" Audrey asked as she looked at Cappie suspiciously.

"No."

Septimus was nodding behind him as he kept his eyes on Percy who was being told goodbye by his (in Audrey's opinion) rather scary mother. He moved closer to them to stand next to the bed. "If you need us, just send word okay. It takes nothing to floo over to St Mungo's."

"I will, mum." He sounded a bit exasperated.

"Don't worry ma'am, we'll watch him, won't we?" Septimus seemed to be addressing the entire room of patients who just ignored him. None of them were to fond of Percy after his snoring had kept them awake all night. Audrey was not bothered because she could sleep through anything, but everyone else had staged a revolt and began to throw things at around three in the morning. Audrey knew better then to take her eyes off Septimus and kept her eyes on the scene watching Mrs. Weasley's nose wrinkle in disgust. She elbowed Cappie in the ribs to get his attention. "Nothing to worry about, right boy?" He smiled a bright semi-drunken smile and smacked Percy's injured leg. Twice. He shot up and reached for the afflicted area.

"Ouch," Audrey and Cappie said in unison as Mrs. Weasley gave Septimus a look that would have sent people who were not intoxicated in the other direction. The minutes until she left were awkward.

"So, you were Martin Garland's informant?" Septimus asked suddenly as he leaned in a little closer, Audrey could barely hear what he was saying. "He said he had some yong bloke in the Minister's office. I didn't think it would be someone this weedy. Though, if you could hold off a legilimens like those working around the Ministry Garland made a good choice then."

Percy looked at him blankly, "How would you-"

"Know that? Well, you see, Garland was working for me. Make of that what you will."

"Why did you hit me then?"

"That was for flirting with my assistant."

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Future father-in-law from hell anyone? _

_Am I the only one who entertains the idea of Audrey being slightly frightened of Molly? Probably. But it does amuse me._

_And yes, Cappie hustled Bill for pocket money. Cute kid. _


	22. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_September 1__st__ 1998_

"Careful, Cappie."

"C'mon Audie, hurry up!"

Audrey walked faster to keep up with the eleven year-old pushing the trolley through the station at a high speed almost taking out a business man who was walking with his wife. Audrey apologized to them as she rushed to keep up with him as he arrived at platforms nine and ten. He stopped and turned to wait for her bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly. She moved next to him looked around carefully before shoving him into the wall and following closely behind him.

The train whistled loudly and Audrey looked at the crowd of people nervously. There were a lot of people, a lot of kids who were going back to finish their studies after the war. Audrey wondered whether Cappie would like being surrounded by all of those other kids. He openly admitted he had not associated with too many other kids as a child. Audrey had not either, but she turned out all right. They stopped and unloaded the trolley.

"Alright, Caps, one… two… three… heave!" They lifted his trunk and put it into the loading carriage. "Let's go put you somewhere."

"I wonder where Serena is, I hope she made it." Cappie said as Audrey put an arm around his shoulders as he clutched a rucksack of leisure reading books and other such amusements for the ride or when he had some downtime over the weekend. She was hoping it would keep him out of mischief. No chance.

"Don't worry, she probably did. Mrs. Palmer may be really chatty, and slightly deaf, but she's going to get Serena here on time. If you don't see her on the train you'll see her at the sorting." Mrs. Palmer had become Serena's foster mother so she would not have to go to an orphanage. Mrs. Palmer was in the process of formally adopting her. She thought Serena was adorable and she had always wanted a girl to spoil seeing as both of her children were boys and had moved out a few years ago, though her eldest was working for her at the restaurant. The last time Audrey had seen Serena she was wearing frilly robes and looking not very pleased about it as she followed Mrs. Palmer on her errands.

Cappie climbed into a carriage and leaned out the window to talk with Audrey some more about the Septenary's reconstruction scheduele, Audrey gladly informed him that it would be done by Christmas because of funding from the Ministry, she called it a political move. While he peered over her head to look for his little blonde friend, Audrey noticed the crowd of redheads gathering a carriage down and smiled. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Cappie shouted, "Serena! Over here!" One who was supporting himself with a cane looked over and smiled. Audrey felt her face growing a bit warm and turned her attention to the girl who had appeared behind her.

"How are you Serena?" Audrey asked kindly.

Serena scowled as she played with the frilly sleeves of her pretty purple robes. Audrey thought she looked a bit like plum. She pulled herself into the carriage and leaned out the window. "I'm fine, really." Audrey smiled slightly.

The train whistled loudly and the wheels began to turn. "You'll write won't you?" Cappie shouted so Audrey could hear him as she jogged next to the window and through the crowd of redheaded people.

"Promise!" Audrey shouted as she stopped at the edge of the platform and waved until it disappeared into the distance.

_**

* * *

**_

Author's Note:

_I had a blast with this; I have the majority of the ideas for my intertwining next gen project ready to be worked on. You'll be getting a brief summary of it next, though it will be some time before it is up and ready. Though in the 20 acts thing I am working on is helping me sort out characters. That will keep me amused for awhile._

_Special thanks to all of my Reviewers, you kept me going when writers block threatened me with knives and rocks and unpleasantness, Special thanks to Foxtail-Padfoot, Avanell, who practically reviewed every chapter even when it seemed to get a little tedious. _

_Happy writing and or reading everyone! _


	23. Next Project

Schwans' next big novel lenth project

I wish to now take the opportunity to announce that my next project will be posted in roughly two months. Enjoy the summary here.

_Away from home for the first time to attend boarding school with her cousins, Lucy comes to the realization that her years there are going to be full of woe and misery. Lucy is James and Freddie's favorite target and they are all in the same year to make matters worse. But perhaps she can avoid the bullies, the pranks, and all of the tomfoolery so that she can get top grades and a good job when she graduates. _

_Fate has other plans…_

_A mysterious figure roams the grounds around the forest seeming to be looking for something. Something that is worth killing and dying for. Lucy has seen the figure and an associate in a mask of gold meeting. What could they be after?_

_Lucy is soon drawn into the search for an item of power that has come to rest at her school. Can Lucy find out who these figure's are? What are they looking for? And can this socially inept, intellectual become one of the greatest hero's of her time?_


End file.
